A new UFC card has been set for this fall. According to Combate, UFC Fight Night 137 will take place Saturday, September 22 at Ginasio do Ibirapuera, and the first two bouts have been set for the event. I’ll write about those in today’s MMA odds and ends.
Livia Renata Souza vs. Alex Chambers, UFC Fight Night 137
A women’s strawweight bout between Livia Renata Souza and Alex Chambers is the first bout added to UFC Fight Night 137. Souza (11-1) is coming to the UFC fresh off of a successful stint in Invicta where she went 4-1 with three finishes. The 27-year-old Brazilian has not competed since last summer but she she is coming off of two-straight wins since her lone career loss against current UFC fighter Angela Hill in a five-round split decision defeat. The majority of her wins have come by stoppage and she should be a fine addition to the UFC’s 115lbs women’s division. Chambers (5-4) is 1-3 overall in the UFC with her only win in the Octagon coming via upset fashion over Kailin Curran. At 39, the Aussie doesn’t have much untapped potential and while she does have quite a bit of experience, she hasn’t had much success. This looks like a huge mismatch on paper between two fighters at different ends of their careers. I’d expect Souza to open as a substantial favorite in this fight and she should be an intriguing prospect to keep your eye on.
Mark Godbeer vs. Luis Henrique, UFC Fight Night 137
A light heavyweight matchup between Mark Godbeer and Luis Henrique was also added to UFC Fight Night 137. Like Souza vs. Chambers, Combate first reported this fight as well. Both fighters are moving down in weight. Godbeer (13-4) is 2-2 in the UFC and is the definition of inconsistency inside the Octagon. The 34-year-old has lost two fights by submission, won one fight by decision, and won one fight by controvrersial DQ. He has some punching power, but that’s about it. Henrique (10-4, 1 NC) is 2-3 in the UFC, losing to Francis Ngannou via KO in his UFC debut, then picking up back-to-back wins by submission then losing two-straight fights. Like Godbeer, he’s very inconsistent. It’s a striker vs. grappler matchup between two guys with many flaws in their games. Since the fight is in Brazil I would slightly favor Henrique here, but Godbeer definitely has the punching power to make things interesting, and I’m expecting a close, Pick’em type of line for this one.
