The fight cards on the UFC’s second half of 2014 calendar continue to fill up, with new fight bookings being announced on a near-daily basis. Here are my thoughts on some of them… Anderson Silva vs Nick Diaz It was announced that two of the biggest draws in UFC history will return to action to face each other in the promotion’s first ever superfight. Diaz has not seen action in nearly a year and a half, and it will be two years when he squares off against Silva. “Da Spyder” has not seen action since suffering a gruesome leg injury in an attempt to recapture his middleweight title last December at UFC 168. Ring rust may play a factor when these two step inside the Octagon for a five round main event at January’s UFC 183 in Las Vegas. I believe this bout will be contested in Silva’s weight class of 185-pounds, so he will have the physical size advantage over Diaz, who generally fights at welterweight and admittedly is able to make the lightweight limit. I expect “Da Spyder” to open as a 2-to-1, possibly 3-to-1 favorite over Diaz in this main event scrap, but it is not a fight I would like to lay my money down on one way or the other. I am a fan of both of these fighters and am looking forward to this fight, but I am not nearly as excited as most fight fans are about it. Besides the weight difference, I’m a fan of both of these guys and don’t believe it makes much sense to make either of them fight each other. I feel like there is a good chance this could turn out to be a boring fight, but I am hoping it ends up being one for the UFC history books. Jon Tuck vs Kevin Lee I think this is going to be a very fun fight in the UFC’s lightweight division, with both 155-pounders coming off recent victories. Tuck notched a third round submission victory over promotional newcomer Jake Lindsey in their preliminary card bout two months ago, and Lee just took a split decision over the Canadian Jesse Ronson at The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale preliminary card just one month ago. Both of these lightweights are tough and tougher to put away, so I think they combine for a solid match-up. This fight has been booked for the preliminary card of next month’s UFC 178, headlined by Jones and Cormier and a number of other exciting match-ups. While it probably won’t take home ‘Fight of the Night’ honors, considering the stacked card, I think there is a good chance it will at least be a contender for the prize, ultimately losing out to a main card bout. This is one pairing I am certainly looking forward to seeing, as I cannot imagine these two producing a lackluster fight. UFC 178 is surely stacked, from the top of the main card to the bottom of the prelims. Based mostly off his hype, I would guess Tuck would open as the favorite in this bout, possibly all the way up to -200. Not only for his hype, but also because he dominated and finished his last fight, while Lee edged a split decision. John Moraga vs Justin Scoggins UFC Fight Night 50 in Connecticut got more stacked with the addition of this flyweight contest which will kick off the evening’s main card. Both 125-pounders are coming off recent set-backs and will look to earn their way back into the winning column. Moraga suffered a doctor’s stoppage TKO at the hands of Jon Dodson just a couple of months ago, while Scoggins dropped a close and controversial split decision to Dustin Ortiz at last month’s The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale, a fight I personally scored for Scoggins. Unfortunately for him, two judges’ did not see it the way I did, and awarded the fight to Ortiz, ultimately giving “Tank” his first taste of defeat. My best guess is that Scoggins opens as a -150 favorite here and gets bet to -200 and possibly -250 by fight time, at which point the betting value may be with his opponent Moraga at 2-to-1 underdog odds. I have yet to handicap this fight, so it’s really too early to talk value. Betting lines aside, I think this scrap should prove to be very exciting, as both flyweights are eager to erase their last performances from the memories of fight fans. Iuri Alcantara vs Russell Doane I think this is going to be a fantastic match-up in the UFC’s bantamweight division. Doane just edged a split decision victory over Marcus Brimage on the main card of last month’s UFC 175, and Alcantara last saw action just over two months ago, with a quick first round knockout of England’s Vaughan Lee. The Hawaiian Doane is now 2-0 inside the Octagon and enjoying a three fight winning streak heading into this, the toughest test of his professional mixed martial arts career. He will undoubtedly be the underdog at the sportsbooks heading into this one, likely opening at around -300 and possibly being bet to -400 and -450 or -475 by fight time. Should it play out that way, I will personally be favoring a play on the dog, even though he will be competing on enemy territory in Brazil. His best chance at a victory would be a stoppage, as he would likely have to dominate the fight in order to take a nod over the Brazilian in Brazil. Finishing Alcantara is no easy task, as the Brazilian has technically only been finished just once in his 36 professional fight career. This 135-pound scrap will be featured on the main card for next month’s UFC Fight Night 51 in Brasilia and it is one fight I am very much looking forward to. While I think Alcantara will be heavily favored, I fully expect this to be an exciting bout and think the Hawaiian will be a live dog. Rory MacDonald vs Tarec Saffiedine This five round welterweight contest was booked as the main event for the UFC Fight Night in Nova Scotia next month. The Canadian MacDonald will have the home advantage in this bout, which will likely serve as a number one contender bout, especially if Tyron Woodley finds success in his match-up against Don Hyun Kim later this month in China. I think MacDonald vs Saffiedine will make for a fantastic main event match-up, and one that I see playing out on the feet. That said, there is a decent chance it could prove to be a dull fight, if both fighters resort to scoring points rather than looking for the finish, which they have been known to do in the past. Regardless of that possibility, I am very much looking for this fight, and expect MacDonald to open as the betting favorite at the sportsbook, likely in the -250 range. I won’t be surprised if he opens at -300, considering the former Strikeforce welterweight champion’s extended injury layoff and possible cage rust. In such a scenario, I would personally be eyeing the dog for a play, even considering the fact that he is fighting on enemy soil and would likely need to very convincingly win rounds in order to secure a decision victory on the judges’ scorecards.
