Sherdog Pick’Em Trends: UFC on Fox 2 Main Card

Sherdog MMA Pick’Em users favor Rashad Evans in Chicago. | Photo: Dave Mandel

If the participants in the Sherdog.com MMA Pick’Em fantasy game are to be believed, then Rashad Evans will most definitely have his day against Jon Jones. A solid 76 percent of players have sided with Evans against Phil Davis in the UFC on Fox 2 main event on Saturday at the United Center in Chicago.

Evans beat Forrest Griffin for the light heavyweight championship in 2008 but lost the belt in his first defense to Lyoto Machida at UFC 98. Since then, “Suga” has picked up wins over Thiago Silva, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Tito Ortiz. Twice tabbed as the division’s No. 1 contender, injuries have halted the Imperial Athletics representative’s title hopes until now, as a victory over Davis would give Evans his long-awaited showdown with Jones, the current 205-pound king.

Unbeaten in five Octagon appearances, Davis is regarded as one of the sport’s brightest talents at light heavyweight. An All-American wrestler at Penn State University, “Mr. Wonderful” owns notable triumphs over Brian Stann, Alexander Gustafsson and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. A victory does not guarantee a title shot for the Alliance MMA product, but an impressive showing could influence the thinking of the UFC brass.

• Anderson Silva may or may not be in his future, but an overwhelming 92 percent of players like Chael Sonnen to defeat Michael Bisping in a middleweight scrap. The two were paired when Mark Munoz, Sonnen’s original opponent, withdrew from the card with an arm injury. Sonnen, who is best known for taking Silva to the brink of defeat at UFC 117, last competed in October, when he submitted Stann with an arm-triangle choke. Bisping has won four bouts in a row, most recently stopping Jason “Mayhem” Miller via strikes at “The Ultimate Fighter 14” Finale.

• Users are going with the more proven commodity in the final main card attraction, as 63 percent have sided with Demian Maia in his 185-pound tussle against Chris Weidman. A renowned ground specialist, Maia is coming off a unanimous decision win over Jorge Santiago at UFC 136. Weidman, a former wrestler at Hofstra University, is 3-0 in the Octagon, with wins over Alessio Sakara, Jesse Bongfeldt and Tom Lawlor.