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Join us for another SteemSports community sports initiative, cast your votes, help distribute SP, and make a difference!

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SteemSports Editor: @cryptoiskey

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Votes must be in by 7:00 PM PST/10:00 PM EST (November 27th 3:00 AM UTC)

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SteemSports Presenter: Brandon Kaplan @brandonk

The UFC is back in Melbourne, Australia with a true battle for the ages! This is a classic striker vs grappler matchup with both men possessing juggernaut like power. Expect war from these beasts!

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Robert "The Reaper" Whittaker vs Derek Brunson

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Fighter Profile: Robert Whittaker

Robert Whittaker is the former 'TUF: Smashes' winner, and arguably the most technical striker in the 185-pound division. He has a sneaky high kick and devastating counter hook off either hand. Moving up from 170 pounds proved to be Robert's best decision thus far as he entered the division with 2 brutal ko finishes of Clint Hester and middleweight staple Brad Tavares.

'Reaper' is on a 5 fight win streak with 2 wins coming by finish, and the other 3 contested as lop sided decisions in the kiwi's favor. Robert has become a force in this division with his stellar take down defense and sneaky power..this is a showcase fight in front of a hometown crowd, he needs to impress here to make a title run!

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Fighter Profile: Derek Brunson

Derek Brunson is the former 'Strikeforce' veteran, and the streaking UFC middleweight contender on a 4 fight 1st round finish streak. Brunson is a master at engaging the brawl early, and although he is a grappler by trade...he has shown to be very heavy handed. His finishes of the uber-durable Sam Alvey and Ed Herman have shown his explosiveness and fearlessness to engage early and often.

'DB' was able to suppress the #1 ranked middleweight contender Yoel Romero for 2 and a half rounds before gassing late due to his lack of experience in the UFC cage...his wrestling and striking have culminated into a singular yet deadly threat. Opponents must always be aware that Brunson can explode into takedowns or heavy strikes, he is a danger everywhere the fight goes.

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The Matchup

The matchup is spectacular as both men are on a combined 9 fight win streak with 6 of them ending by finish. Brunson is a fast starter with explosive punching power and Reaper is a slow starter with a more technical stand up game...if Whittaker survives the early waves of aggression, his chances of winning will increase minute by minute.

Brunson is a 3-time Division II All-American wrestler and will always have the ability to grind in his back pocket...his ability to ride opponents and deliver hellacious ground and pound is second to none. Neither man has seen nor prepared for a main event; this entails not only fighting for 25 minutes...but being the main event. Both men carry a heavy burden on their shoulders, and regardless of either man's streak...this will be each man's toughest test to date.

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Odds

Derek (FAVORITE)	Robert
-145	+125
1.69	2.25
20/29	5/4

References:

The Reaper
Derek Brunson

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Predictions

MMA MANIA
Kamikaze Overdrive MMA
Will Martin

Interesting STUFF

Free Fight : Cormier vs Johnson
Still gets headkick KO with wrecked shoulder

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Support SteemSports Ultimate Vote Betting … together we all can win!

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How to Play

• Vote on the main post to enter the bet (main post rewards will also be added to the Stake Pool).

• Cast your Vote Bet on ONLY ONE outcome for which you bet on for the win (Multiple comment votes will be automatically disqualified by the script, unvote and revote counts as multiple votes and will be disqualified).

• After 24 hours, the post and related game comments payout to the pool; remember 25% voters rewards are deducted from the total post payout value first as per Steem curation rules. Voters are rewarded in standard fashion in proportion to their Steem Power holdings.

The Stake Pool:

• The remaining 75% of the total payout is paid out in 50% Steem Power and 50% in liquid currencies, the latter now varies in payout ratio after the new fork. To make the process less complicated, we have decided to use all paid out SBD to buy Steem in the internal market to create a grand total Steem Stake Pool.

• 30% of the Stake Pool will be retained, of which 15% will go to the writer/sports presenter of the post, and the 15% balance towards editing, development and advertising.

• 70% of the Stake Pool will be held until the event/game outcome is determined.

• Once the winning outcome is determined, we will execute a proprietary developed script that will divide and pay out the Steem rewards equally, using the Power Up method, to Mass Distribute SP to all participants that voted on the main post as the entrance fee as well as voted on the correct comment representing the winning outcome.

• Only participants with a Reputation of 35 or more will qualify to earn SP rewards, but non-qualifiers can still vote and comment in support of the redistribution initiative.

• Entry cut-off time is the earlier of the post payout or the start of the event.

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Disclaimer and Image/Source Credits:

• Image Credits: 1 2 3

• Images used in this post are either paid for and modified, Creative Commons (CC) or image credits supplied.

• Note the views and predictions of the presenters are their own personal views and do not reflect the views and opinions of @steemsports. @steemsports does not offer betting advice.

• Errors and Omissions Excepted (E&OE). SteemSports is currently beta, currently no liability will be assumed for errors.

• @steemsports reserves the right to amend future payout percentages based on the operation needs of the account.

• @steemsports is not a traditional betting platform and no fiat currency is used as rewards or in casting bets; as such does not fall under any gaming and gambling jurisdictions; but even so, users are urged to first consult with the laws and age restrictions of their countries.

• @steemsports in the unlikely event that when the Stake Pool is divided up between the winners and the nomenclature resolution goes below the third decimal place (example: 0.0001), then Steem decimal restrictions won’t allow a payout and the pool will carry over to the next game.

• Please vote responsibly :).

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Copyright © Ricardo Goncalves 2016

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