UFC 104 betting this Saturday ends a fairly long hiatus by UFC standards—one in which we saw no title fights and got a heavy dose of Kimbo Slice. Lyoto Machida’s title defense Saturday kicks off a stretch in which we’ll see a championship on the line in several months straight. Time to make a pick for Saturday’s big bout.

It’s been a long road back for Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, whom many MMA pundits dubbed the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world just a few years ago. The downfall started when a gassed, disinterested Rua got upset—tapped out—by Forrest Griffin. Shogun aggravated a knee injury during that fight, opted for surgery and missed over a year. Upon returning to fight Mark Coleman at UFC 93, Rua drew criticism for appearing out of shape. At UFC 97, however, the old Shogun returned. He arrived for his bout with Chuck Liddell in good shape and showed his powerful Muay Thai and technically crisp combinations in destroying Chuck Liddell. An aggressive fighter who always goes for the knockout, he’s sure to make Machida work.

THE CHAMPION…

Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida
Record: 15-0
Notable wins: Rashad Evans, Tito Ortiz, B.J. Penn
Online betting odds for UFC 104: -450

Defending a title in Machida’s situation is easier than it is for the Phillies in World Series betting. Because Machida is so evasive—statistically the hardest fighter to hit in UFC history—he’s in a great position to retain his title for a long time. Challengers have to be the aggressor in order to “take” the belt whereas champions can hang back, play it safe and wait for a mistake. Machida is an expert at doing just that; he keeps his chin far away from his opponents thanks to his upright Karate stance, waits for them to grow impatient and enter his range, then explodes with counter strikes. His arsenal includes powerful leg kicks, underrated punching power and a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to match Rua’s.

Pick: Machida -450. Shogun certainly has the talent to give Machida a serious run but his aggressive style plays into Machida’s hands. Machida, who has never lost a round in the UFC, will hang back and wait for Shogun to expose himself. Don’t be surprised if he becomes the first man to knock out Shogun. After all, no one had knocked out—or beaten—Rashad Evans and Thiago Silva before Machida faced them. Machida’s odds of defending, like the Phillies World Series odds of defending, are excellent.

Eddie Royal is going to single-handedly put the game over the total in the NFL point spread. If so it will be another MasterLockLine winner. Get an Eddie Royal jersey and more on the Guy Store   

Denver Broncos @ San Diego Chargers
NFL odds: Chargers -3.5 

The Denver Broncos have been one of the biggest surprises in the NFL this season. They are 5-0, which seems like a wild dream for Josh McDaniels and company given how tumultuous their offseason was. The Broncos are coming off a big, emotional win against the New England Patriots, which opened up some eyes in the NFL. Considering the Patriots won 59-0 this weekend, the fact that Denver beat them last week adds some credibility.

The Broncos have been doing their damage on both sides of the ball. On offense, much maligned quarterback Kyle Orton has been playing smart football for basically the first time in his career. Orton has been limiting his turnovers and just making the right throws to move the chains. In the backfield, runners Knowshon Moreno and Correl Buckhalter have been fantastic making big plays. Both runners have exceeded expectations and considering they are running behind one of the best offensive lines in the leagues, it’s fairly easy for them to find yardage.

Regardless of what the Broncos have accomplished this season, this will be their biggest challenge to start the year. The San Diego Chargers their biggest division rival and they are the team to beat in the division, even though they have a three-game lead. The Chargers are coming off a bye week and they are going to be focused. This is a must-win for them and they can bite into the Broncos lead and eventually get level. If they lose, they will be four games back without the head-to-head tiebreaker. Look for a concentrated effort from San Diego and they should be ready for a big home win.

Racebook Picks: Chargers -3.5

Broncos/Chargers Total

Online betting O/U: 44.5

It’s hard to gauge how good the Broncos offense will be and how good the Chargers defense will be. We know that the Broncos have been effective moving the ball this season but most of their good work has been done at home. Let’s not forget that the team barely mustered any points on the road in Cincinnati in Week 1.

Meanwhile, the Chargers defense hasn’t been playing well in the first month of the season, mostly because Shawne Merriman has not been a factor. He’s supposedly healthy now and should be a playmaker in this game.

Betting System Picks: Over 44.5

Rutgers and Army battle on ESPN2. The football lines college has Rutgers laying 9.5 on the road.

Top football handicappers will have selections on that game by Friday morning. Who will be the best? Just check out the power of 620 sports services behind every selection, the MasterLockLine to be sure.

Because the MasterLockLine monitors each and every one of the nation’s top sports service, handicappers, tip sheets and syndicates, you will get every Game of the Year play worth betting. Every last one in the industry is yours. That’s why you get more legitimate service Games of the Year on the MasterLockLine than anyone else.  

For those who try to beat the sportsbooks on their own, the college football betting match-up is up.

It’s time for the sportsbook winner on the NY Yankees-Anaheim Angels. The artist formally known as the California Angels are -135 at BetUs Sportsbook

Jered Weaver is on the hill for LA Anaheim and Andy Pettitte for the Bronx Bombers.  

Why not take the Yankees plus some money today? The Angels have been a thorn in the New Yorkers side for years and years and playing at the Big A has not been successful for the Bombers but the way things have been going in this postseason it’s a total no-brainer to make a small play on an underdog Yankee squad.
 
For one thing Andy Pettitte has always been money in the postseason and his start against Minnesota was pretty darn solid last week so no matter how old the lefty is and how many issues he has had over the last few seasons I have to have confidence in him when the chips are down like this. All in all Jered Weaver has the better stuff at this point in 2009 but that cutter of Pettitte’s still cuts and there is no substituting the lefty’s guile and guts in pressure situations.
 
Then you have the Arod factor as he is the best player in the world right now. Sure the postseason has been his nemesis but things have changed and you know that Rodriguez is a lot more comfortable in his own skin these days. The guy has actually become somewhat clutch and when you factor in Jeter and Teixeira and Posada and a few others the Yankees are the best team on this field today.
 
Anaheim is a complete team that certainly can win this game but Brian Fuentes has become a total head case and can’t be trusted unlike Mariano Rivers who looked incredible in game two as he normally does all the time. Don’t also belittle how all of a sudden the Halos, like the Twins in the first series against the Yankees, have started to do uncharacteristic things making me believe that these teams are starting to shrivel up a bit under the pressure of playing the big bad Yankees. Obviously that terrible error led to the game two Yankee win and all in all we may be seeing the Anaheim players squeezing their collective throats a little bit here ala those Twinkies in the first round.
 
Anaheim may win this as they are still a quality dangerous team with Abreu, Vlad, Hunter, Morales and others but plus some money with Pettitte and an undefeated playoff team thus far is the way to go for me for sure!

For more information: Another huge overall winning weekend netting 235,000* of profit. It’s back baby. 300,000* Game of My Life Denver-San Diego. I love this game more than I love my wife and more than any of the first three parts: 3-0 so far with these Top-Rated plays.

300,000* Washington (plus 19) at USC wins Outright. 300,000* Maryland (plus 12 ½) vs. Clemson wins Outright. 300,000* Notre Dame (plus 10) covers vs. USC on Saturday. Click now to purchase  

ESPN betting line on Florida State vs. North Carolina has UNC -2.5 on the college football betting line. Can the FSU Seminoles save Bobby Bowden’s job? The top covers experts in the pick nation will have the football picks on game day.

The college football betting trends are up for this and the entire college football schedule. For Tar Heels tickets, fan gear and more it’s the Guy Store

Possible handicapping picks, especially the total could come from veteran handicapping consultant but newcomer to his own service, Stevie Vincent. He has already drawn comparisons to the all-time Vegas legends Pete Axthelm, Joe Duffy, Bob Martin, Jimmy the Greek and Roxy Roxborough. Clearly he has established himself as the No. 1 over/under handicapper as mastering over/under plays are part of the revolutionary forensic sports handicapping.  

ESPN odds on Tulsa vs. UTEP has Texas El Paso a seven-point home underdog according to the college football odds

Which of the top sports handicappers will have the biggest bet in that game? Early word is that it may be superstar Matt Rivers, who has so much insight on these games, it’s almost not fair. Just read the analysis and you will see why Matt Rivers was the winningest handicapper ever on a large network of handicapping sites before being promoted to The Show at OffshoreInsiders.com.

The college football betting match-up for this and all the games is set.

Sportsbooks consider OffshoreInsiders.com to be the Malthus Demon while bettors know the sports picks Seregon O’Dassey pics.

Citizens Bank Park Philadelphia weather actually has temperatures in the upper 40s, even 51 for the first pitch. Phillies-Dodgers, Angels-Yankees game tickets are in the Guy Store now. Wind is not expected to exceed 3 mph.

Angeles Stadium is typical LA weather. Partly cloudy 67 degrees, wind 3-7 mph.

Fans attending the game only hope that the Philadelphia weather forecast is as accurate and the top sports handicappers have been at beating the MLB odds and NFL betting line.

Here is this afternoon’s and tonight’s rundown of who is hot and who has the big plays.  Congratulations are in order though for those who jumped on the LateInfo’s 59-0 rout saying to lay the points with the New England Patriots.  

For the Monday Night Football ESPN winner, why not start out with the absolute best? Over the weekend you swept with Game of the Year and Total of the Year plays. Fresno State was the Blowout of the Year, Louisiana Lafayette Sun Belt Game of the Year, and the Vikings over the Interconference Total of the Year. Now get the Monday Night Football Game of the Year Broncos-Chargers. Also get the first two Wise Guys of the MLB postseason—both sides are Wise Guys. GodsTips is 9-3 in the postseason so far. Click now to purchase the top sports service picks in history, GodsTips.

The power of 620 sports services behind every selection, the MasterLockLine is on a 20-11 tear. Here is today’s menu.

Mark the Shark, the top handicapper west of the Mississippi hits 60-65 % of his Game/Total of the Month or higher plays.  He’s been offered nearly seven figures per year to join a famed Las Vegas sports handicapping marketing giant, but has spurned offers because they demanded marketing concessions that would negatively affect his modules.  His College and NFL Games of the Week and Month are 10-1 this year. NFL Game of the Week goes to 6-0 with Broncos/Chargers

Luther Wade is the former right-hand man of Oscar Dooley.  When Wade was making his picks, Dooley had 4 straight Top 10 finishes all sports combined ’97-’00.  He is the No. 1 all-time money winning totals handicapper. One and only Monday Night Total of the Year Chargers/Broncos

Baseball service out of Detroit became the first service EVER to have three straight MLB seasons in which they won at least 40 units (one unit per bet) in 2006-08. We ride history in 2009. Their Mandated Bets have an unprecedented rate of return of any sports service rated bets in any sport. Mandated Bet on Dodgers/Phillies total and NY Yankees/LA Anaheim side

No. 5 MLB handicapper this year is 2-0 with rare postseason Annihilator plays. It’s 7-0 going back to early September. Annihilator on LA Dodgers/Phillies

Now to the man that has the oddsmakers crying a Rivers, Senior Handicapper Matt Rivers, the leader of the pick nation.  

Another huge overall winning weekend netting 235,000* of profit. It’s back baby. 300,000* Game of My Life Denver-San Diego. I love this game more than I love my wife and more than any of the first three parts: 3-0 so far with these Top-Rated plays.
300,000* Washington (plus 19) at USC wins Outright. 300,000* Maryland (plus 12 ½) vs. Clemson wins Outright. 300,000* Notre Dame (plus 10) covers vs. USC on Saturday.

Matt Rivers was the winningest handicapper ever on a large network of handicapping sites before being promoted to The Show.

Last but never least is technical guru Stevie Vincent. The top angle against one team is 15-3 and for the other 15-5, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Get the Broncos/Chargers up now. Click now to purchase any or all of the above.

The Dante Wesley hit video in which he cowardly cheap shot Clifton Smith has gone viral. Luckily for gamblers, there are sports picks hotter than Seregon O’Dassey.

Yankees vs. Angeles Game 3 ALCS starts out the betting odds day.  NLCS Game 4 Dodgers vs. Phillies continues on the pick nation. Then it’s the Monday Night Football odds taking center stage.

Colliding on the gridiron . . .

Monday Night Football has Denver at San Diego this week, with the Broncos (5-0 SU, 5-0 ATS) looking to extend their season-opening win streak to six games. The Broncos made a statement with a 20-17 home win over the Patriots last time out, as Kyle Orton went 35-of-48 for 330 yards passing with two touchdowns (and one interception). Knowshon Moreno rushed for 88 yards on his 21 carries.

The Chargers (2-2 SU, 1-3 ATS) fell 38-28 to the Steelers in their last game two weeks ago. Philip Rivers completed 21-of-36 pass attempts for 254 yards in that loss, with touchdown strikes to Antonio Gates (two) and Chris Chambers. LaDainian Tomlinson ran for just 15 yards on seven carries against Pittsburgh. San Diego is a 3.5-point home favorite for Monday night, with the total set at 44 at the sportsbooks.

Bettors have a better chance of living to 100 then winning on their own. That’s why professional bettors are flocking to GodsTips.

Over the weekend you swept with Game of the Year and Total of the Year plays with Grandmaster sports handicapper Joe Duffy and GodsTips. Fresno State was the Blowout of the Year, Louisiana Lafayette Sun Belt Game of the Year, and the Vikings over the Interconference Total of the Year. Now get the Monday Night Football Game of the Year Broncos-Chargers. Steam: Just added are the first two Wise Guys of the MLB postseason—both sides are Wise Guys. GodsTips is 9-3 in the postseason so far. Click now to purchase

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

The Yankees and Angels will play Game 3 of the ALCS in Los Angeles on Monday, with Andy Pettitte taking on Jered Weaver. Lefthander Pettitte won his ALDS start against the Twins last time out, surrendering just one earned run on three hits over 6 1-3 innings and fanning seven. Righthander Weaver also grabbed a victory in the last round of the playoffs, holding the Red Sox to one earned run on two hits over 7 1-3 innings. Weaver fanned seven and walked two.

Meanwhile, it’s Game 4 of the NLCS between the Dodgers and Phillies on Monday in Philadelphia, with Randy Wolf going up against Joe Blanton. Lefthander Wolf took a no-decision in his start for the Dodgers against the Cardinals last round, allowing two earned runs on six hits over 3 2-3 innings of work. Righthander Blanton took the mound twice for the Phillies against the Rockies in the NLDS, surrendering two earned run on four hits in 3 2-3 innings.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

Finally, there are three National Hockey League games on the Monday schedule, with Los Angeles at Dallas, Vancouver at Edmonton, and San Jose at the Rangers. The Sharks are coming off a 4-1 road win over the Islanders on Saturday night, with Joe Thornton picking up a goal and two assists in the contest. The Rangers continued to roll in their last contest, as they knocked off the Maple Leafs 4-1 on the road. Henrik Lundqvist made 34 saves in that victory.