UFC 179 Date: October 25, 2014 Arena: Maracanazinho Gymnasium City: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil UFC 179 will be live on Pay Per View this Saturday at 10pm ET with a five-fight main card, with televised preliminary action kicking off at 8pm ET on FOX Sports 1. After the fights have concluded, the UFC will be awarding a $50,000 ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus for the most exciting bout of the evening. To place a wager on this prop, or any others for UFC 172, you may do so at Several Bookmakerss. I believe these UFC 179’s FOTN contenders hold the most value: Dariush/Ferreira +550 — Personally, from top to bottom, this is the match-up I am most looking forward to on the entire UFC 179 fight card. These two are amongst the most talented Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners in the lightweight division, so I think it will be a real chess match if and when this fight hits the mat, which I am very much hoping it does. A striking battle between these two could be very entertaining, as well, but I am really anticipating their grappling exchanges because I am a fan of both of their BJJ skills. Ferreira is heading into his third Octagon appearance, looking to make it three in a row in the promotion while remaining undefeated as a pro. Dariush was on the same path, but recently had his undefeated streak snapped by Ramsey Nijem. However, he rebounded well in his next outing, submitting a game Tony Martin in the second round of action. Knowing what it’s like to taste defeat for the first time, Dariush will be looking to give Ferreira that same experience. The former Legacy FC lightweight champion will be doing everything in his power to prevent that from happening, and I am certainly expecting fireworks when these two enter the Octagon tomorrow night. This is my favorite pick to take home the evening’s ‘Fight of the Night’ honors, and should these two earn it, it would mean the first time for both 155-pounders. Fili/Arantes +550 — I expect this to be a greatly entertaining battle on the feet that likely plays out for all 15 minutes. These featherweights always show up to fight and I expect it to be no different this time around. Fili, coming off his third round guillotine choke submission loss to Max Holloway, will be looking to rebound back into the win column. Meanwhile, the New Jersey-based Brazilian, Arantes, will be looking to make it two in a row inside the Octagon, following a unanimous decision win over Venezuelan veteran Maximo Blanco. Should these 145-pounders take home the evening’s ‘Fight of the Night’ honors at UFC 179 in Rio de Janeiro, it would mean the first time for both. On this fight card, I think this fight is a solid contender to take home the prize, and in my opinion, the most likely to do so from all the bouts on the preliminary fight card. Giagos/Burns +650 — Giagos recently secured the RFA middleweight title with a flying knee knockout over Dakota Cochrane and earned himself a spot on the UFC’s 185-pound roster. He is a solid prospect in the division but will be getting no easy task in his debut with the promotion, as his opponent not only has the hometown edge over him, but also a massive advantage in the grappling department. Burns is an incredibly talented Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner who has been evolving into a solid mixed martial artist. While he is a heavy betting favorite heading into this 185-pound contest, I believe it is still a tough test for him, and the biggest challenge of his professional mixed martial arts career. Both of these middleweights are very talented and I believe that regardless of the outcome of this match-up, they will both go on to have a successful career in the UFC, as long as they continue to stay focused and motivated, as they have been. This is certainly a big fight for both fighters and I expect it to be a war. It is the very first card of the entire UFC 179 fight card, and I think it has a good chance of proving to be exciting, so at the current betting odds of +650, it is worth a look. Should these two take home the evening’s ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus, it would obviously be the first time for both, as this is Giagos’ Octagon debut and Burns’ only second appearance in the promotion, following his unanimous decision victory over then-undefeated Andreas Stahl, so he will be looking to go 2-0 while staying undefeated, and he hopes to secure a submission finish in front of his fellow Brazilians.
