PFL commentator Dan Hardy thinks the historic betting line between Dakota Ditcheva and Denise Kielholtz at PFL New York is a disservice to both athletes.
Undefeated women's flyweight standout Ditcheva (15-0) will walk into Friday's co-main event matchup with Kielholtz (9-5) at UBS Arena on Long Island (ESPN) as a historic betting favorite. She can be found as high as -10,000 on various markets, which marks one of the widest lines ever in an MMA fight.
Although Ditcheva, 28, is a rightful favorite in the mind of nearly everyone, Hardy said the mass unpredictability of MMA could level the playing field in a way the odds don't reflect. He sees Kielholtz, 37, as having a sneaky game, and the fact Ditcheva is coming off a pair of significant injuries creates some intrigue.
"First of all, it's an MMA fight. I was talking to Matt Serra last night and he's one of the people that upset the odds (against Georges St-Pierre) back in the day before they had as much traction and attention," Hardy told MMA Junkie. "I feel for Denise because she's been put in that situation by a lot of people. Then when you see them face off, Dakota's huge for the weight. But Denise, at close range, she's got excellent judo, inside and outside leaps, side control, scarf hold position, taking the back. She could be a real test for Dakota because she's very, very good in the clinch at close range.
"I'm sure she's 100 percent feeling great, but there's always that little bit of hesitation when you're coming back from an injury, like, 'How is this going to work out?' Does it change Dakota's game in some ways? Does she want to kick more or clinch more? I'm excited to see what Dakota looks like."
#ditcheva #hardy #historic #betting
Undefeated women's flyweight standout Ditcheva (15-0) will walk into Friday's co-main event matchup with Kielholtz (9-5) at UBS Arena on Long Island (ESPN) as a historic betting favorite. She can be found as high as -10,000 on various markets, which marks one of the widest lines ever in an MMA fight.
Although Ditcheva, 28, is a rightful favorite in the mind of nearly everyone, Hardy said the mass unpredictability of MMA could level the playing field in a way the odds don't reflect. He sees Kielholtz, 37, as having a sneaky game, and the fact Ditcheva is coming off a pair of significant injuries creates some intrigue.
"First of all, it's an MMA fight. I was talking to Matt Serra last night and he's one of the people that upset the odds (against Georges St-Pierre) back in the day before they had as much traction and attention," Hardy told MMA Junkie. "I feel for Denise because she's been put in that situation by a lot of people. Then when you see them face off, Dakota's huge for the weight. But Denise, at close range, she's got excellent judo, inside and outside leaps, side control, scarf hold position, taking the back. She could be a real test for Dakota because she's very, very good in the clinch at close range.
"I'm sure she's 100 percent feeling great, but there's always that little bit of hesitation when you're coming back from an injury, like, 'How is this going to work out?' Does it change Dakota's game in some ways? Does she want to kick more or clinch more? I'm excited to see what Dakota looks like."
#ditcheva #hardy #historic #betting
3 months ago
