Strikeforce odds for this Saturday’s card in San Jose features a little bit of history for MMA players: this will be the first time in history that a card will be headlined by women. Gina Carano and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos will battle it out for the womens’ championship belt at 145 pounds, and Carano is looking to keep her perfect record intact. Strikeforce Odds – Saturday, August 15, 10:30 PM ET
Carano (7-0) is more known for being a cover girl, as she’s been in Maxim, and she’s also a former American Gladiator. But Carano, who is from Dallas, is trained at Xtreme Couture, which is run by the legendary Randy Couture, so she knows her way around the octagon. This is shown by a perfect record, and she’s a very well-rounded fighter. Three of her wins have come by knockout, and despite having only one submission win, her ground technique is very good. Finally, she has stamina: three of her fights have gone the distance.
“Cyborg” (7-1) lost her first fight, and has rolled over the competition since then, knocking out five of her foes. She’s a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu artist who fights out of Chute Boxe Academy, which has housed such greats as Anderson Silva, Wanderlei Silva and “Shogun” Rua. There may be a concern about her stamina, as four of her fights have ended in the first round, but she answered those as her last two fights have gone into the third round.
Santos is a -175 favorite in this betting online matchup, and this will be a very interesting contrast in styles, despite both being well-versed in Muay Thai. Santos is a pure power puncher who goes for the home-run blow, while Carano wears her opponent down, then pounces. Carano can lull her opponents to sleep by thinking that she’ll be easy pickings because she’s pretty, but if Santos isn’t careful, Carano will be a problem. People aren’t giving Carano enough credit, and she’ll use that as motivation to be the first womens’ champion in a major MMA promotion. One thing is for sure: this exciting fight will be well worth the price per head for ticketholders.
Sports picks: Gina Carano (+145)
