By: Dan Moore, MMATorch UK Contributor UFC 156 takes place this weekend, live from Las Vegas, NV. This is the fourth consecutive fight weekend with picks and I'll be totally honest; I'm looking forward to a rest before heading off to London for UFC on FUEL 7 next month. Like last weekend though, UFC 156 has all the makings of a fantastic card, and one that could very well spring a surprise or two.
We have 5 copies of the hit MMA film
'Here Comes the Boom' starring Kevin James, to give away to the winners this week. I'll award them as follows:
Winner of the Confidence Picks Championship Match Up.
Winner of the Betting Picks Championship Match Up.
Winner of the Confidence Picks Pool.
Winner of the Betting Pool.
One worthy performer chosen by me (Two if Harry wins both title match ups, because he can only win one).
We're also still giving away prizes worth
$100 (unless you work for MMA Torch!). I am recording the mean average scores for every competitor and the highest in both games will win $50 worth of goods from MMAwarehouse.com each.
Respective winners of the predictions and betting contests will each get $50 worth ($100 if you win both). Only selected fight cards taking place between 01 Jan - 30 Jun will count (We'll start over again for 01 Jul - 31 Dec 2013). Competitors will only be eligible if they have competed in 75% of the available cards. Anyone not reaching that target, won't be considered, even if they have the highest mean average.
All picks for UFC 156 need to be submitted to dannymoore100@hotmail.com by no later than 23:00 GMT / 18:00 ET on Saturday night.
MMA Torch Confidence Picks Championship Match Up Harry Cooper (Champion) vs. Anthony Sinnott (Challenger)
Everyone else will be battling it out in the pool for the right to face Harry, or Anthony at UFC on FUEL 7 (Barao vs. McDonald) next month.
MMA Torch Betting Picks Championship Match Up Harry Cooper (Champion) vs. Eugene Kim (Challenger)
Everyone else will be battling it out in the pool for the right to face Harry, or Eugene at UFC on FUEL 7 (Barao vs. McDonald) next month.
UFC 156 FIGHT CARD Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar
Rashad Evans vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Alistair Overeem vs. Antonio Silva
Jon Fitch vs. Demian Maia
Joseph Benavidez vs. Ian McCall
Gleison Tibau vs. Evan Dunham
Tyron Woodley vs. Jay Hieron
Jacob Volkmann vs. Bobby Green
Yves Edwards vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg
Chico Camus vs. Dustin Kimura
Edwin Figueroa vs. Francisco Rivera
CONFIDENCE PICKS GAME AND RULES 1. UFC 156 is an 11 fight card. Therefore, the point values you assign must range from 11 (most confident) down to 1 (least confident).
2. Additionally, please list your prediction for method of victory, along with the round. Choose either TKO, KO, SUB, UD (Unanimous Decision) or SD (Split Decision).
3. Using UFC 153 as a template, here is how a simple entry might look:
12 - Anderson Silva - TKO4
11 - Glover Teixeira - TKO1
10 - Demian Maia - SUB2
09 - Jon Fitch - UD
08 - Phil Davis - SUB1
07 - Rony Mariano Bezerra - KO1
06 - Gleison Tibau - UD
05 - Diego Brandao - TKO2
04 - Sergio Moraes - SD
03 - Chris Camozzi - SUB3
02 - Reza Madadi - TKO1
01 - Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira - UD
4. When you email me your entry, please sort the entry numerically (as shown) from high to low. Thanks.
5. The first tie-breaker is the sum of confidence points. Using the examples above, an Anderson Silva victory would earn 11 points. Forrest Griffin winning would earn just 1 point, etc.
6. If two participants earn the same number of confidence points, the next tie-breaker will be the total number of winners predicted. If Player A earns 40 points on 7 winning picks, and Player B earns 40 points on 6 winning picks, Player A would be declared the winner.
7. The next tie-breaker is the number of victory methods predicted correctly. Next would be predicted rounds of victory. If both players are still tied at this point, both players will be declared the winner. If the tie is for a championship, they would match up again at the next event, along with the winner of the pool. If the tie occurs in the pool itself, both challengers would advance to face the champion at the next event.
BETTING GAME AND RULES Here are the UFC 156 betting lines courtesy of 5Dimes:
Jose Aldo: -220
Frankie Edgar: +180
Rashad Evans: -470
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira: +375
Alistair Overeem: -360
Antonio Silva: +300
Jon Fitch: -175
Demian Maia: +155
Joseph Benavidez: -250
Ian McCall: +210
Gleison Tibau: -130
Evan Dunham: +100
Tyron Woodley: -160
Jay Hieron: +130
Francisco Rivera: -215
Edwin Figueroa: +170
Jacob Volkmann: -360
Bobby Green: +270
Yves Edwards: -245
Isaac Vallie-Flagg: +185
Chico Camus: -165
Dustin Kimura: +135
8. Using UFC 153 as a template again, here is how a simple entry might look:
$450 on Silva
$300 on Teixeira
$50 on Tibau
$200 Parlay on Tibau, Madadi and Maia
9. Every player has $1000 of fake, imaginary, theoretical, play money to wager on each event. This is not a real money game, it is strictly for fun.
10. Players must place a bet of at least $50, but no more than $500, on each of 3 or more different fighters. Bets may be in any denomination, as long as the amount falls in the range of $50 - $500.
11. Players may also play a parlay bet. A parlay bet is a bet placed on multiple fighters. All fighters in the parlay must win their fights in order for the parlay to pay off. Parlay bets pay off at a higher rate than a bet on a single fighter. The parlay bet may be placed on either two or three fighters.
12. The minimum parlay bet is $50. The maximum parlay bet is $200. This money comes out of the $1000 alloted to each player. The parlay bet is NOT separate from the $1000 budget. A player is not required to play a parlay bet. The maximum number of parlay bets a player may wager is one.
13. Whether or not a player chooses to place a parlay bet, the player must still place at least three straight bets. It is not legal to place two bets on individual fighters and one parlay bet. No entry is considered valid unless there are a minimum of 3 straight bets placed on individual fighters.
14. If a fight ends in a draw, any money bet on said fighter will be refunded, with no fake money commission taken. If a fighter in a 3-fighter parlay is involved in a draw, that fighter will be removed from the parlay and the 3-fighter parlay will be treated as a 2-fighter parlay. If a fighter in a 2-fighter parlay is involved in a draw, that fighter will be removed from the parlay and the 2-fighter parlay will be treated as a straight bet on the remaining fighter.
FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS 15. If a fighter has a positive number such as +150 next to his name, he is the underdog, which means a successful bet on that fighter will pay off at a higher rate. That means that if the fighter wins, the bet will payout $150 net profit for every $100 bet on him. If a player were to bet $500 on a +150 fighter, and the fighter wins, the player will profit $750. If a player bets $500 on a +150 fighter, and the fighter loses, the player will lose his $500 bet.
16. If a fighter has a negative number such as -200 next to his name, he is the favourite, which means a successful bet on that fighter will pay off at a lower rate. That means that if the fighter wins, the bet will payout $100 net profit for every $200 bet on him. If a player were to bet $500 on a -200 fighter, and the fighter wins, the player will profit $250. If a player bets $500 on a -200 fighter, and the fighter loses, the player will lose his $500 bet.
Structure for each game
17. For each UFC numbered (or listed otherwise) event, both the Confidence Picks and Betting Game will feature a champion and a challenger facing off against one another. The winner of the head to head battle will be declared the reigning champion.
18. All other players for each UFC numbered (or listed otherwise) event will compete against each other for the right to face off against the reigning champion at the next UFC numbered event. This is known as The Pool.
19. As games administrator, I have the subjective right to eliminate any entry for any reason I deem worthy.
20. Entries may be submitted via email (dannymoore100@hotmail.com), or on the comment section of this post. Email is the preferred method, because if a player posts an invalid entry, I have no way to make sure I can get hold of the player so that it may be corrected. Please, under no circumstances should you both email
and post on the board your entry. One or the other please, preferably via email.
21. If you have any questions, please email me and ask.
Final Note
22. A player
does not need to play both games during each event. Players may choose to submit an entry for one game or the other, or for both, at their own choosing.
Follow me on Twitter, @MMATorchDanSource: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/prediction_and_betting_contests/article_15786.shtml
Tiki Ghosn Dennis George Kultar Gill Allan Goes
All fighters are on weight for tonight's Score Fighting Series 7 event. 
Bellator wraps up their season 7 lightweight and heavyweight tournaments with their final event of the year – Bellator 84. The event goes down from The Venue at Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana on December 14th.