The UFC always brings a loaded card for Super Bowl Weekend in Las Vegas. Oddly, however, there are no titles at stake on Saturday night at UFC 183. Instead, perhaps, we have something better: the first of a new breed of "super fight" between legends who had never been able to face each other.
The return of two of the most popular and successful fighters in MMA history adds a new layer of uncertainty to an already intriguing stylistic matchup when Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz each enter the Octagon for the first time in over a year.
Elsewhere on the card are very even matchups with implications for title shots in several UFC divisions. In the top three fights of the card that we'll examine in closer detail, we can already see that most of them are heavy hitters. But will there be knockouts? Will there be upsets?
Let's dig a little deeper and explore the betting lines to find the value.
Lightweights: Al Iaquinta (-175) vs. Joe Lauzon (+155)
It's a scrap in the very deep and competitive lightweight division between two guys just on the bubble of the rankings. Each man has a two-fight win streak over solid competition, but otherwise they are very different in how they fight. Lauzon has been there, done that, and won the bonus. But the crafty veteran, who is dangerous to the final bell, also tends to take punishment on his feet. Iaquinta on the other hand, has demonstrated excellent boxing skills, but has continuously fallen prey to experienced submission artists.