UFC on Fuel TV 7 Preview
Saturday, February 16
UFC on Fuel TV 7 is not the most stacked card that the UFC has put on free to view television, but it does feature some promising up and comers trying to make a name for themselves in the UFC and an Interim-Bantamweight Title match. What it lacks in big name star power it is going to more than make up for in offering up some solid MMA action.
UFC Interim-Bantamweight Championship Match:Â Renan Barao versus Michael McDonald
Two incredible fighters who are not used to losing, both only have one recorded loss, will clash for the Interim-Bantamweight Championship. The winner of this fight will more than likely go on to unify the title against Dominick Cruz at an even later in the year.
Both Barao and McDonald prefer to strike. Barao has some heavy hands while McDonald is an elusive striker.  They are also well rounded however and are not strangers to attempting take downs and submissions.
The longer the fight runs the more it favors the conditioning of Barao. McDonald’s best chance of winning will be going in for a knockout in the early rounds. If this one goes the full stretch Barao is going to win by decision. For that reason the odds favor Barao. His money line is at -300 according to Bovada. To bet on McDonald the money line is at +250.
Cub Swanson vs. Dustin Poirier
Cub Swanson is looking to get back in the Featherweight Title hunt after dropping out of the picture due to a loss to Ricardo Lamas. Swanson has been a KO/TKO machine as of late with three consecutive wins under his belt coming by way of knockout.
Dustin Poirier is in a similar situation to Swanson. He dropped out of title contention after a loss to Chan Sung Jung. He does not want that loss to stop him however as he completely destroyed Jonathan Brookins in his last fight and will be looking to get another impressive victory against Poirier to get back in the Featherweight Title picture.
The odds for this one are very close over at Bovada with Swanson at a -120 money line compared to Poirier’s +100 money line.
Jimi Manuwa vs. Cyrille Diabate
This fight is an interesting one as Jimmi Manuwa attempts to continue his undefeated ways by making his UFC record 13-0 against Cyrille Diabate.
Manuwa has won 11 of his 12 fights by KO or TKO. He likes to beat his opponents over the head with big punches until the fight is stopped or his opponent has stopped moving.
Diabate is the better technical striker and upsetting young up and comers is what Diabate has earned a reputation for doing in his last few fights.  Diabate will simply have to avoid the knockout, and he could easily walk out of this fight as the victor.
Manuwa is favorited with a -240 money line to Diabate’s +200 on Bovada.
