DREAM 8 Betting Preview

 
DREAM 8 will take place on Sunday, April 5th from Nippon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya, Japan. It will air on tape delay on HDNet on April 10th, but will be available via Skyperfect PPV LIVE.

The betting odds for the event have been released, and there are some solid values on this card in terms of parlay action as well as some single bets. Let's take a look at some of the values:

Shinya Aoki (-165) vs. Hayato "Mach" Sakurai (+145): I'm more inclined to believe this is a risky line than an actual easy decision. Aoki has been on a roll lately, and since their first matchup back in Shooto in 2005, Aoki's experience has increased substantially. Sakurai still has the power to punish Aoki, but avoiding Aoki's guard will be a task in itself. An older Sakurai may have problems against a dynamic grappler like Aoki. Aoki's line is pretty solid for a single bet here, but I wonder if the matchup is a bit too risky to include in a parlay.

Ikuhisa Minowa (-455) vs. Katsuyori Shibata (+375): There really isn't any value in this line. Minowa is obviously the favorite with a plethora of MMA experience and an actual submission game that Shibata lacks. At -455, it's tough to sell a single bet here as there isn't much to gain from a Minowa victory.

Daiki Hata (-110) vs. Hideo Tokoro (-120): This line has closed in distance over time, but I think I'll still pick Hata in this matchup. Tokoro has a solid chance of defeating Hata, but Hata has some power that Tokoro might get caught with standing. I'd stick with a single bet however as the matchup is fairly close to call, and we wouldn't want your parlay sinking on this fight.

Jason High (-150) vs. Yuya Shirai (+140): I think High will be victorious in this matchup, and at -150, it isn't a bad beat to include him in a parlay or throw down the single bet. Shirai is a veteran, but he's too susceptible to multiple ways of losing to be a favorite in this one.

Marius Zaromskis (-155) vs. Seichi Ikemoto (+135): Zaromskis' power is going to be the one attribute in his skillset that will be talked about during this fight. I think it's going to be tough for Ikemoto to try to work anything on the floor or in the standup as the knockout punch will always be on his mind. At -155, he's another solid parlay candidate.

Andre Galvao (-115) vs. John Alessio (-115): I like Galvao here. While Alessio has all sorts of talent, he isn't much of a finisher whereas Galvao will have immense power in the grappling department. He's very dynamic and will be tough to counter on the ground. Alessio will need to sprawl and brawl this one to victory.

Dong Sik Yoon (+200) vs. Murilo Rua (-225): Rua should win this matchup. He can counter Yoon's submission abilities on the floor, and Rua should have the standup advantage. He should see some action betting wise.

Andrews Nakahara (-240) vs. Shungo Oyama (+190): This line could warrant some underdog action from me. Oyama has submission abilities while Nakahara is not only green in the sport of MMA, but his ground abilities are also fairly novice. Oyama may be able to catch Nakahara in a leg lock and win this one.

Jeff Monson (+215) vs. Sergei Kharitonov (-225): Kharitonov should be the obvious favorite here. He has much better technical striking, a solid Sambo base to counter takedowns, and Monson doesn't provide a huge danger unless he slips Kharitonov in some sort of hold. I like Kharitonov here.

Any picks?

This is a somewhat tough card to pick in terms of parlays because there are some even matchups that are hard to analyze. Aoki, High, Hata, Zaromskis, Galvao, Rua, and Kharitonov will all see bets from me.

Parlays could be set in a multitude of ways. Hata, Zaromskis, Galvao is the miracle parlay bet in my mind since all those lines are getting close to the even mark, but mixing names with your solid picks would be the best bet in terms of parlay action.

My only upset bet on the card is Oyama. It won't get a huge bet from me, but it's worth a small bet to hope he can submit Nakahara.

Happy Betting everyone!