Prediction and Betting Contests
UFC 134 CONTESTS: Confidence Pick and Betting Game Results
Aug 28, 2011 - 11:00:08 PM UFC 134 CONTESTS: Confidence Pick and Betting Game Results

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By Rich Hansen, MMA Torch Columnist:

Sometimes it's impossible to know how a card is going to play out. Sometimes it's easy. Like, when the UFC goes to Brazil and has about 42 fights that feature Brazilians facing off against overwhelmed non-Brazilians, you just pick all the Brazilians and move on. Unless of course one of those Brazilians is a striker who is vulnerable to the overhand right, who made his name by beating Sokoudjou, Cantwell, and Marshall, and is facing off against an angry Bulgarian who throws nothing but overhand right hands of course.

So really all one had to do was to pick Brazilians, Bulgarians, and French-Canadian-Haitians, and one would then ace the contests for UFC 134. Jason Lyon and yours truly Rich Hansen both followed that strategy to go 12-0 for 78 points apiece in the UFC 134 Confidence Picks Game pool. And since the tie-breakers didn't break the tie, both Lyon and I will be taking part in a three way dance at UFC 135.

And since I'm big on offering spoiler alerts, let me just say that either Lyon or I dominated the betting pool and will be trying to become a double champion at UFC 135 on September 24.

That's the lead. Read on for the details.


CONFIDENCE GAME RESULTS

As stated above, your ever so humble author went 12-0 at UFC 134, as did Jason Lyon. Since the tie-breakers were unable to break the tie, both Lyon and I will be challenging new champion Avery Clarke at UFC 135.

Clarke scored an impressive 65 points, missing out on Brendan Schaub for 10 (Schaub isn't Brazilian), Luiz Cane for 2 (Cane isn't Bulgarian), and Ian Loveland for 1 (Loveland isn't a French-Canadian Haitian). Cane's 65 point showing was enough to take the crown away from the now-former champion Brent King.

King scored a relatively meager 46 points, missing on Schaub for 11, Griffin for 10, Cane for 6, and Fisher for 5. and 8-4 record is respectable under most circumstances, but it wasn't enough to defend is Confidence Picks title. Congratulations to Clarke, Lyon, and of course to me myself and I.


BETTING CONTEST RESULTS

Oh Mr. Chris Knight, you broke my heart. You won the betting pool at UFC 133, and had the Brady Bunch name and the hotter than hot ex-wife thing going. And rather than taking the title from Chris McCann, who might I add was ripe for the picking, you submitted an invalid entry and were disqualified. You can't just place 2 different $500 bets. Reading is Fundamental, my friend.

So as a result, Chris McCann has defended his Betting Contest title by simply submitting a valid entry. The $200 bet on a -270 Erick Silva was merely gravy.

Congratulations, Mr. McCann. You may have defended your title at UFC 134 by walkover, but it's going to be a hell of a lot harder four weeks from now when you defend against yours truly, Rich Hansen.

That's right. I'm going to be insufferable(er) for an entire month now! I saw three bets that I loved, and I bet them hard. Yves Jabouin is +165? I'll take Jabouin at +165 against anyone but Dominick Cruz. Nogueira, +200, in Rio, against a season 10 TUF finalist? Yes please! Thiago Tavares is only a 2:1 favorite against The Artist Formerly Known As Spencer Fisher? Oh, that's tasty.

So get ready McCann. I'm coming for your title. Unless of course a lay an egg, in which case I might tone down the schtick 42 notches or so, give or take.


CONFIDENCE GAME POOL

Rich Hansen, Jason Lyon: 78
Kubi: 75 – not bad, sir.
Mark Bunce: 68
Shaun Louis: 67
Kevin Seng: 66
John Hickman: 64
Erik Nell, Jason Thompson: 63
Simon Kerry: 62
Skarz, Chris Knight: 61
Michael Roberts, Daniel Moore, Chris McCann: 60
Mike Jensen, Dionicio Ortiz: 59
Danny Mellor: 58
Jason Binder, Christopher Moore: 55
Jamie Penick, Clay Burley: 53
Bam White: 52
Shawn Ennis: 48
Leland Lawson: 46
Cambo Nelson, Casey Vaccaro: 43
Brian Fuller: 42
Anthony Sinnott: 36
Phillip Irvin: 35 – Okami for 12? For shame, sir.


BETTING CONTEST POOL:

Rich Hansen: an extremely impressive $4515.00
$500 on Jabouin for $1325
$250 on Nogueira for $750
$50 on Tavares for $74.39
$200 parlay on Jabouin, Nogueira, and Tavares for $2365.61

Kubi: $2829.26
$500 on Nogueira for $1500
$150 on Jabouin for $397.50
$200 parlay on Rua, Barboza, and Nedkov for $931.76

Jason Lyon: $1583.08
$300 on Nedkov for $780
$300 on Rua for $415.38
$200 parlay on Thiago, Spider, and Rua for $387.69

Christopher Moore: $1551.13
$500 on Rua for $692.31
$200 on Nogueira for $600
$200 on Barboza for $258.82

Brent King: $1500
$500 on Nogueira for $1500

Mark Bunce: $1418.46
$400 on Barboza for $517.65
$200 on Palhares for $261.54
$200 on Rua for $276.92
$200 parlay on Spider, Barboza, and Acantara for $362.35
Congrats to Mark for hitting on all of his bets, which is a rare feat. But when the shortest bet you make is on a -260 favorite, you're never going to win this game.

John Hickman: $1200
$400 on Nogueira for $1200

Shawn Ennis: $1130
$200 on Nogueira for $600
$200 on Jabouin for $530

Kevin Seng: $900
$300 on Nogueira for $900

Avery Clarke: $838.62
$300 on Assuncao for $466.67
$250 on Tavares for $371.95

Bam White: $765.38
$300 on Spider for $350
$300 on Rua for $415.38

Dan Moore: $756.62
$100 on Nedkov for $260
$100 on Thiago for $120
$200 parlay on Thiago, Palhares, and Alcantara for $376.62

Shaun Louis: $636.92
$300 on Thiago for $360
$200 on Rua for $276.92

Danny Mellor: $600
$200 on Nogueira for $600

Connor Thomas: $600
$200 on Nogueira for $600

Jonah Goodman: $600
$200 on Nogueira for $600

Dom Farr: $600
$200 on Nogueira for $600

Jamie Penick: $576.11
$200 on Assuncao for $311.11
$100 on Jabouin for $265

Jason Binder: $530
$200 on Jabouin for $530

Simon Kerry: $520
$200 on Nedkov for $520

Jason “Goat” Thompson: $325
$125 on Nedkov for $325

Dionicio Ortiz: $311.11
$200 on Assuncao for $311.11

Skarz: $265
$100 on Jabouin for $265

Leland Lawson: $265
$100 on Jabouin for $265

Casey Vaccaro: $155.56
$100 on Assuncao for $155.56

Brian Fuller, Cambo Nelson, Michael Roberts, Clay Burley, Anthony Sinnott: $0


Performer of the Night: Tell you what. If I turn in a performance at UFC 135 like I turned in at UFC 134, we'll be renaming this award the Rich Hansen award. No humblebrag here, just brag. Then again, Dizzy Dean once said, “It's not bragging if you can do it.” False modesty is soooooooo not me.

Goat of the Night: Anthony Sinnott was the only player to pick fewer than 7 fights correctly, going 6-6 on his picks for a second-worst point total of 36 points. Combine that with the fact that all of his bets were losers, and we have our goat. While I have no doubt he'll do better at UFC 135, for this event, he's standing on a tree stump and eating grass.