The UFC returns to Toronto for the first time since April, when their first show set records for the company. At UFC 140, a very interesting card is shaping up as the light heavyweight championship is on the line, while a pair of heavyweights square off for the second time and two 205-pounders may be fighting for their UFC contracts. Here is a look at Saturday night’s odds.

Jon Jones (14-1) vs. Lyoto Machida (17-2) – Light Heavyweight Championship

It’s no BetOnline scam that Jones is a massive -500 favorite over Machida, a former champion himself and it isn’t a knock on the “Dragon”; that’s just the kind of year that Jones has had. This will be his fourth match of the year against a top-10 opponent, and his third against a man who has held the 205-pound belt. Machida, who comes in at +405 for this fight, did send Randy Couture into retirement with a front kick to the face at UFC 129 in Toronto, but Jones has rolled over everyone he has faced; even his lone loss was a disqualification of a match he was dominating, and that is why he has a high profile among those who use bookie software.

Frank Mir (15-5) vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (33-6-1, 1 NC) – Heavyweight

Mir is the favored man here at -250, while “Big Nog” comes in at +210 in a rematch of a fight from December 2008, when Mir scored a TKO to take the interim heavyweight title. However, Nogueira, a former Pride champion as well, was battling a staph infection and was less than 100% for this fight. That has led some to question if Mir could really stand and trade strikes with a healthy “Big Nog”, who is coming off a win over Brendan Schaub in his native land of Brazil. Mir has won two in a row and wants to prove to many people, including those who use price per head software, that he should be in the running for a title shot.

Tito Ortiz (16-9-1) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (19-5) – Light Heavyweight

“Little Nog” is favored at -205 and he desperately needs a win after losses to Ryan Bader and Phil Davis, while former champion Ortiz is rated at +175 after he was knocked out by Rashad Evans in August. However, even though he has five losses and a draw in his last seven fights, Ortiz took the Evans fight on short notice, so president Dana White may take that into consideration. This fight was supposed to go down in March, but Ortiz got hurt and was replaced by Davis; this match for Nogueira is a chance to erase that loss and he has plenty of motivation, while Ortiz is almost done, which is why he is an underdog at betting sites.

Online Sportsbooks Overview

The Buffalo Sabres are one of the worst home teams in the NHL and the Philadelphia Flyers are one of the best road teams in the league. Right from the start, things do not look good for the Buffalo Sabres. To say the Sabres are struggling this season is an understatement. The team is 4-5-1 in its last 10 games and has been trying to deal with the tremendous pressure of a fan base that wants the team to start winning now. With a new owner in place that has made some bold promises, the team continues to underachieve and that creates the distractions of rumors and finger-pointing. The Sabres are also still riddled with injuries that are having a significant effect on the team’s play, The most significant injuries are on defense, and the problems just keep piling up.

The Philadelphia Flyers were supposed to be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, according to the price per head sports predictions in the preseason. The Flyers got off to a shaky start as it looked like new goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov was still trying to get his feet on the ground. The Flyers have been up and down all season long, but it has managed to remain at the top of the conference and in a three-way dogfight for the top spot in the Atlantic Division with the New York Rangers and the Pittsburgh Penguins. But the bookie software will still not give the Flyers too much of an advantage this season because Philly cannot seem to rely on its goaltending. The Flyers are hoping that changes as the Christmas holiday approaches.

Buffalo Sabres

Nine games after Sabres’ goaltender Ryan Miller was hit by Boston’s Milan Lucic and given a concussion, Miller returned to play against the Nashville Predators. The result was another run at Miller by Nashville tough guy Jordin Tootoo. A betonline.com review of the hit shows that it could have been avoided, and now the league is being forced to react. Miller and the Sabres seem to be at the center of the newest trend of disrespect in the NHL and that is running goaltenders. The Flyers play a physical game, and it will be interesting to see if Miller is now a little shell shocked after being run into twice in the span of three weeks.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers want to make Ilya Bryzgalov the number one goaltender. Being the number one goaltender is why Bryzgalov is getting paid a lot of money. But the Flyers have had to turn to Sergei Bobrovsky on more than one occasion to bail Bryzgalov out. The only team that Bryzgalov does not seem to have any problems with is the Buffalo Sabres. This game could be the confidence-builder that Bryzgalov needs.

The Bottom Line

In the NHL, it used to be a goaltender’s world. But with players taking runs at goalies and the inconsistent play of veteran superstars, the goalie world is a little shaky right now. Both the Sabres and the Flyers are hoping to get some stability with the result of this game.

Pick: Buffalo Sabres

Toronto FC fans will have to fill their wagering void in other ways until their MLS season begins again, and there is plenty worth watching right now; the NBA hasn’t even started back yet,  but this week there is some NFL to check out in your sportsbook, along with college hoops and the NHL.

Monday

Chargers Jaguars Betting (8:30 PM ET): San Diego is a 3-point favorite in their Monday night trip to Jacksonville, but a BetOnline.com review of the Chargers might be titled “Dead Man Walking” as it is being speculated that Norv Turner will be fired at the end of the season. They’ll be facing a Jacksonville team that fired Jack Del Rio and replaced him with Mel Tucker, who was the coordinator of a defense that can give any team trouble.

Tuesday

Memphis Miami Odds (9:00 PM ET): The Tigers have fallen twice in neutral-site games, and now they’ll have their first true road games when they head to Miami to face the Hurricanes, who are looking to show bookies who use price per head companies that they can be a darkhorse in the ACC. Memphis beat Miami by four points at home last season, and the Hurricanes could have revenge on their mind on Tuesday.

Wednesday

Xavier Butler Odds (9:00 PM ET): The Bulldogs have reached the national-title game in each of the last two seasons, but Butler has gotten off to a rough start. They can redeem themselves a little in the eyes of those who use bookie software when they welcome a ranked Xavier team to town. These two have met in three straight years, with Butler winning twice, but Xavier won by two points at home last year. None of the three games have been decided by nine points or less, and the last two games by two points or less.

Thursday

Browns Steelers Betting (8:20 PM ET): Cleveland have dropped games against Cincinnati and Baltimore, and they’re 14-point underdogs on the road in their third AFC North game on the road. The Steelers have won seven of their last eight and are trying to keep pace with the Ravens, who are tied with Pittsburgh at the top of the division, but Baltimore has a pair of wins over the Steelers this season, so every win counts.

Friday

Maple Leafs Capitals Odds (7:00 PM ET): Washington will still be getting used to the way Dale Hunter does things after the firing of Boudreau, and they’ll host Toronto to end the week. The Maple Leafs have been a big surprise this season and are looking to sustain their solid play, while the Capitals needed to make a huge move to shake things up and stay in the minds of those who bet on sports.

There is some NHL to check out on next week’s schedule, but the NFL starts things off on Monday night and chips in with a Thursday night game, while college hoops gets a look early in the week.

Monday

Chargers Jaguars Odds (8:30 PM ET): San Diego is a 3-point favorite on the road, even though they may be the biggest disappointments in the league this season. They may be fortunate in this game as Wagerweb reviews would tell you that the Jaguars recently fired longtime head coach Jack Del Rio and they’re a team in transition right now.

Tuesday

Washington Marquette Odds (9:00 PM ET): The Jimmy V Classic will be held on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden, and in the nightcap of a doubleheader, fans should be treated to an uptempo affair between Washington and Marquette. These two squads love to get up and down the floor and that should be reflected in the lines set by pay per head companies.

Wednesday

Kings Ducks Odds (10:00 PM ET): In an all-California affair, Anaheim should be the home favorites, although they could also still be getting used to new coach Bruce Boudreau, who was fired in Washington on Monday, in Anaheim for an interview on a Wednesday and officially the head coach as of Thursday. The Kings have their own issues and for whatever reasons, they’re having troubles putting the puck in the net, but goaltender Jonathan Quick should be an early contender according to those who use pay per head sportsbook companies.

Thursday

Browns Steelers Odds (7:00 PM ET): This should be a typically tough AFC North affair, but it’s likely that the Steelers will be the home favorites in Pittsburgh against the Browns, who are strong defensively, but they have a young offense that struggles to move the ball and that’s the last thing you need as you’re heading into Pittsburgh, who have managed to stay near the top of the list of favorites in the AFC despite some early-season troubles that had some players doubting them.

Friday

Maple Leafs Capitals Odds (7:00 PM ET): Both of these teams have been surprising, by for different reasons as Toronto has surged up the standings in the Eastern Conference, while the Capitals were obviously struggling so badly that Boudreau had to be fired and former Washington player Dale Hunter was installed. Even though the Capitals haven’t been at their best, it would still be a boost to the Maple Leafs’ confidence if they could take down a team like Washington, especially on the road, but you should expect them to be the underdogs as you bet on sports on Friday.

Online Wagering Overview

The New Jersey Devils finished the season so strong last year that everyone expected the team to come flying out of the gate this season. But the same problem that plagued the Devils last year has reared its ugly head this season; the Devils just cannot score goals. As was the problem last year, the Devils sit near the bottom of the NHL in goals scored with only 58 in 23 games played. Luckily for the Devils, it is getting great goaltending at this early part of the season while the goal scorers start to wake up. The Devils have proven that when the team works hard, it can beat just about anyone. But the same goal scoring sloth that killed the Devils last year could work to undermine it this year as well.

The pay per head sportsbook makers are more than a little shocked at how well the Minnesota Wild is playing this year. As it stands right now, the Wild is the best team in the NHL and sits on top of the league with 33 points. This is a solid team that has gone 7-3-0 in its last 10 games, but it is also having goal scoring problems. The Wild is living on the great goaltending of Niklas Backstrom, but Backstrom has to consistently keep the opposition at two goals or less for the team to win. In his last five games, Backstrom is 4-1-0, so it looks like he has the two or less rule in effect. Against a team like the Devils, that should not be difficult to maintain.

New Jersey Devils

What scares most teams about the New Jersey Devils is that New Jersey is capable of exploding with four or five goals on any given night. The problem for the Devils is that, while the team is capable of such outbursts, it doesn’t often do them. For the price per head betting enthusiasts to get excited about the Devils’ chances at grabbing a playoff spot, the Devils need to put the puck in the net more often and stop trying to rely on future hall of fame goaltender Martin Brodeur to get a shutout every night. Something needs to flick on the switch for this Devils’ team. Last year it was the re-hiring of Jacques Lemaire as head coach. New Jersey fans are hoping that the Devils did not throw that phone number away.

Minnesota Wild

The Wild’s strong point is defense, and it takes defense to win championships. But offense sells tickets, and the Wild just do not like to take chances on offense. The Wild would rather lay back and protect Backstrom than pull the defense out of the zone to try and create an offensive rush. The NHL scores in Wild games tend to be low, which means that this particular game has the potential to be one of the more unceremonious defensive struggles of the season.

The Bottom Line

Neither of these teams likes to take offensive chances and they both play a style of the defensive trap. That means that fans in Minnesota could be in for a long night as it will take a while for either of these teams to put the puck in the net.

Bet Online Pick: Minnesota Wild