Rousimar Palhares is known as the middleweight division’s most dangerous submission and especially leg lock artist, and he is unquestionably a difficult fight for anyone. Unfortunately, a series of mental errors (or maybe just bad luck) has hurt his stock. In his first main event, Palhares would be finished by Marquardt while looking at the referee for assistance, and two fights later, Palhares erroneously believed he had defeated Dan Miller despite the referee not stopping the fight. Regardless, Palhares is unquestionably top 10 in the division, and poses problems for everyone.
Latest Rousimar Palhares vs Mike Massenzio Odds;
Palhares – (-600) - Bovada.Lv
Massenzio – (+400) - Bovada.Lv
Massenzio definitely isn’t on the short, or long list of fighters you’d think the UFC would be matching up with Palhares. Massenzio did the UFC a favor by taking Krzystoff Soszynski on short notice in a fight he would lose chasing takedowns, and in his return Massenzio outstruck Steve Cantwell to save his spot on the roster. However, despite the win, nobody really considers him anywhere close to the top 30 of the division.
Stylistically, it’s tough not to give Palhares literally every advantage. Massenzio has solid wrestling credentials, and showed improved striking against Cantwell, however Palhares’ takedowns have shown themselves to be very strong, and showed vastly improved striking in his most recent bout against Miller. Further, Palhares showed great ground and pound and cardio in against Miller, which he had never shown before.
You really have to be a moron to think this fight goes any other way than Palhares destroying Massenzio virtually any way he wants, but hey, crazier things have happened. After jumping back into the ring after his early celebration against Miller, Palhares was nearly knocked out, and if he’s overconfident in his striking here, it’s entirely possible he gets knocked out.
The Rousimar Palhares vs Mike Massenzio prediction is that Palhares outstrikes Massenzio into an easy takedown, and finishes him on the ground with either strikes or a submission. However, this is MMA guys, and playing -600 lines is almost never advised. Palhares has shown mental issues in the past, and Massenzio in theory only needs to connect once. No play for me.
Rousimar Palhares vs Mike Massenzio Betting Odds Conclusion: Massenzio isn’t anywhere close to Palhares’ league, however I won’t play the -600 line given Palhares’ mental issues.
Current Rousimar Palhares vs Mike Massenzio Odds;
Palhares – (-600) - Bovada.Lv
Massenzio – (+400) - Bovada.Lv
