The UFC continued to book a number of new fights, and the biggest of the bunch is a lightweight bout between top-10 ranked fighters Donald Cerrone and Rafael dos Anjos, which will be the co-main event for the upcoming UFC on FOX Sports 1 2 card. This is an intriguing matchup but it came as a surprise of sorts as most believed that Cerrone would be matched up with Josh Thomson in a possible No. 1 contender’s matchup. However the UFC instead decided to match him up with dos Anjos, who is currently riding an impressive four-fight win streak. This is a very difficult matchup to predict but I would assume Cerrone would be a slight favorite, perhaps in the -150 range, with the comeback on dos Anjos being around +120. I honestly have no idea who the public is going to like because they have been betting on both guys in their last few fights but I’d assume if anything Cerrone’s line might get a push higher, and if dos Anjos climbs over the +150 mark, he might even be worth a play. Other Fights Announced For UFC on FOX Sports 1 2 In addition to Cerrone vs. dos Anjos, the UFC also added two other bouts to the UFC on FOX Sports 1 2 card. The first is a welterweight bout between Justin Edwards and Brandon Thatch, who will be making his UFC debut. I don’t know a lot about Thatch but the public has never been fond of Edwards and it wouldn’t shock me if Thatch actually opened up as the favorite despite his lack of UFC experience. The other fight that’s been booked is a welterweight bout between Robert Whittaker and Court McGee. This is an excellent matchup but after the way Whittaker handled Colton Smith at UFC 160, I’d assume he opens as the favorite. However, I actually like McGee to win this fight as I believe he pushes a better pace than Whittaker and has the chin that will be able to withstand the Aussie’s best shots. More Fights For UFC on FOX Sports 1 1 As well, the UFC on FOX Sports 1 1 card added two new fights today. The first is a featherweight matchup between Diego Brandao and Daniel Pineda that promises to be very exciting as neither fighter often goes the distance. I would expect Brandao to open at around -250 or so with the comeback on Pineda being +200, and I do favor Brandao to win the fight via KO. The other fight announced is a lightweight bout between Ramsey Nijem and James Vick, who will be making his official UFC debut. Although Nijem will definitely have the grappling advantage, he has a very weak chin and Vick has very strong striking for the lightweight division. As such, I see this being a very competitive fight but I would assume that Nijem would still be the favorite, perhaps around -175 with the comeback on Vick being +145 or so. I personally am very high on Vick and although he’ll be coming off a long layoff, I like him to win this fight by either decision or T/KO. UFC 163 and UFC 164 Gets New Fights But the fun didn’t stop there as UFC 163 today added a welterweight bout between Bristol Marunde and Viscardi Andrade. I don’t know much about Andrade so I can’t comment too much on this fight but Marunde looked awful in his last outing against Clint Hester and is a huge fade at this point of his career so if his opponent is available at plus money he’ll certainly be worth a look. UFC 164 also had a new fight booked with bantamweights Chico Camus and Kyung Ho Kang locking it up later this summer. This is another interesting fight between two promising prospects with a lot of potential but also some fight IQ issues. This is another close fight and it could be a Pick ’em when the lines are released but I would really take a look at Camus, who will be fighting in his backyard of Milwaukee, WI, in this fight. Camus has good wrestling and Alex Caceres proved that Kang has grappling issues so Camus is my initial lean.
