UFC 134 betting odds and picks

By Case Keefer (contact)

Thursday, Aug. 25, 2011 | 2:05 a.m.

Saturday’s UFC Rio card features the most lopsided main event so far this year, according to oddsmakers.

Middleweight champion Anderson Silva (30-4 MMA, 13-0 UFC) is listed as high as a 6-to-1 favorite over challenger Yushin Okami (26-5 MMA, 10-2 UFC) around town. Silva has settled as a -550 (risking $5.50 to win $1) favorite at Lagasse’s Stadium inside the Palazzo.

“Anything can happen,” Silva said on UFC.com.

Fair point, but the Las Vegas Sun’s picks panel can only see this bout going one way. All four participants in the usual breakdown section sided with Silva to come away victorious.

Silva is arguably the most dynamic striker in the history of mixed martial arts. If the fighters stay on their feet, Silva will use the five rounds to pick Okami apart and possibly knock him out.

But Okami knows how to wrestle, which is Silva’s most pronounced weakness. Even Silva expects Okami to try to use his strength to take the fight to the mat and let loose with ground-and-pound strikes.

“I don’t think strength plays that big of a difference,” Silva said. “If it’s that big of a difference, then the elephant would be the king of the jungle, not the lion.”

The Sun’s predictions weren’t unanimous on any of the other top three fights on the bill. Three out of four picked Shogun Rua over Forrest Griffin in the co-main event, Brendan Schaub to beat Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in a heavyweight clash and lightweight Edson Barboza winning against Ross Pearson.

Rua, Schaub and Barboza are all in the range of -200 to -300 favorites.

For full betting odds and picks for every fight, click here.

Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.