A number of new bouts were added to upcoming UFC cards over the weekend. Here they are below, along with my initial thoughts on them.
Julian Erosa vs. Devonte Smith, UFC Fight Night 139
A late-notice lightweight bout between Julian Erosa and Devonte Smith has been added to UFC Fight Night 139, which takes place this Saturday, November 10 at Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. Erosa (22-5) is 1-1 overall in the UFC and is making his return to the Octagon after winning three straight fights, including a KO win on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. Smith (8-1) is coming off of four straight wins himself including a knockout win of his own on the Contender Series. The odds are already out for this fight, with both men opening at -120 a piece.
Mark de la Rosa vs. Joby Sanchez, UFC Fight Night 139
Also added on short notice to UFC Fight Night 139 is a bantamweight bout between Mark de la Rosa and Joby Sanchez. Sanchez is filling in on very short notice for the injured Jordan Espinosa. De La Rosa (10-1) is 1-1 in the UFC and coming off of a submission win over Elias Garcia. Sanchez (11-3) is 1-3 overall in the UFC and dropped a submission loss to Roberto Sanchez in his last fight. Like Erosa vs. Smith, this bout already has odds out for it despite the late notice switchup, with de la Rosa opening at -185 and Sanchez opening at +145.
Li Jingliang vs. David Zawada, UFC Fight Night 141
An injury to Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos has forced him out of his fight against Li Jingling at UFC Fight Night 141 and stepping up on short notice will be David Zawada. The card takes place November 25 at Cadillac Arena in Beijing, China, and this bout was reported by Combate. Jingliang (15-5) is 7-3 in the UFC and most recently bested Daichi Abe by decision. Zawada (16-4) is coming off of a split decision defeat to Danny Roberts in his UFC debut but had won five straight fights before that. Zawada definitely surprised in his UFC debut but Jingliang is the more proven fighter in the Octagon and I expect him to be heavily favored in this fight.
Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum, UFC 234
The crown jewel of the new fight announcements this weekend is the upcoming middleweight championship bout at UFC 234 featuring champion Robert Whittaker and challenger Kelvin Gastelum. The card takes place February 10 at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia, and ESPN broke the news. Whittaker (20-4) is 11-2 overall in the UFC and is currently on a nine-fight win streak with back-to-back decision nods over Yoel Romero. Gastelum (15-3, 1 NC) is 10-3, 1 NC overall in the UFC and is coming off of back-to-back wins over Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Michael Bisping. This battle of two former welterweights turned middleweight studs is going to be a tremendous battle. Gastelum has looked amazing at middleweight but you have to favor Whittaker in this fight considering he has gone on an undefeated run since moving up in weight. I expect the odds for this fight to drop soon.
