"UFC Fight Night 40" will kick off on Saturday with Erick Silva (16-4) expecting to explode against underdog Matt Brown (18-11), as Ohio is ready to host a fight after a seven-year hiatus.
According to The Linemakers, Erick Silva is a -230 favorite to win over Matt Brown who, in turn, will enter the fight the +190 underdog.
Interestingly, the Ohio native who calls himself "The Immortal" is ranked seventh compared to Erick Silva's 14th. Matt Brown is also riding a six-win streak against Erick Silva's lone victory prior to "UFC Fight Night 40."
Erick Silva's debut in 2011 was nothing less than explosive as he took care of Luis Ramos in just 40 seconds. But he tapered off since then with a pedestrian 3-3 record. Then he knocked out Takenori Sato in his last fight in just 52 seconds, which propelled him to a marquee fight on "UFC Fight Night 40."
Steven Marrocco of MMAjunkie.com also wondered about the lopsided sporting odds in favor of Erick Silva.
"Do bettors know something the general public doesn't? 'The Immortal' owns a six-fight winning streak at 170 pounds - no small feat in the marquee division. [While] Silva has hopscotched between wins and losses in seven UFC fights," he wrote.
But he also said that Matt Brown could be in trouble in "UFC Fight Night 40" since Erick Silva specializes in submission-as evidenced by seven of his wins via tapout-and that has always been "The Immortal's" kryptonite.
In addition, Matt Brown is also returning to the octagon after suffering herniated discs on his spine late last year.
But Steven Rondina, columnist of Bleacher Report, picked Matt Brown to win over Erick Silva via KO.
"Make no mistake: Both fighters are overrated. The difference is that Brown is overrated in the context of being an elite welterweight," he wrote.
