The UFC yesterday revealed a number of new matchups, including a key lightweight bout at UFC 171 in Dallas, TX, between long-time divisional stalwart Diego “The Dream” Sanchez and undefeated up-and-comer Myles “Fury” Jury. This is a sensational fight and I’m a big fan of this fight booking, as it will show if Sanchez is still relevant at 155 pounds while giving an opportunity to Jury to prove he is the next big thing at 155. As far as how they match up, we all know that Sanchez’ strength is his aggressiveness, as perhaps no other fighter in the UFC walks forward with some ferocity as he does. However, that does leave him exposed to getting hit in the face as his wars with Gilbert Melendez and Martin Kampmann taught us, although as we all know Sanchez’ chin is second to none. As for Jury, he’s one of those up-and-comers with a well-rounded skillset, and his key to this fight against Sanchez is to be more technical. If Jury is able to keep his distance and work his jab he can definitely find his way to a points victory, but if Sanchez is pushing forward at him the entire time I really have no idea how Jury will react as no one else as ever really been able to bully him so far in the Octagon. As for the line, I’m expecting it to be close, and I wouldn’t even be shocked if Jury ended up the favorite here because if you look at his recent betting lines, he’s been getting a ton of respect from the public while Sanchez really hasn’t been. Still, you can never count out someone with the heart of “The Dream” in any cage fight. Should be a fun one regardless. Also, a few other matchups were announced… Al Iaquinta vs. Kevin Lee, UFC 169 In a lightweight matchup, Al Iaquinta will take on UFC debutee Kevin Lee at UFC 169. I don’t know much about Lee, but I do know that Iaquinta is an absolute monster and I would assume he will be a heavy favorite coming into this fight based on his UFC experience and the skills he has shown in the Octagon so far in his beatings of Piotr Hallmann and Ryan Couture. Rashid Magomedov vs. Tony Martin, UFC 170 According to MMAFighting, Russia’s Rashid Magomedov will take on fellow UFC newcomer Tony Martin at UFC 170. I don’t know much about Martin, but Magomedov is one of the most hyped prospects coming out of Russia right now and I would expect him to be a decent favorite in this fight. That being said, I can’t even make a guess at a line right now for this fight as I haven’t watched much, if any, tape on either fighter. Sean Spencer vs. Alex Garcia, UFC 171 And finally, in a welterweight bout that will take place at UFC 171, Texas’ own Sean Spencer will fight TriStar Gym’s Alex Garcia in what I believe in an excellent bout. Although Garcia will have a ton of hype behind him coming into this one because of his recent KO win over Ben Wall, I actually think Spencer has a very good chance of pulling off the win here if he can keep things technical for three rounds as I believe he has the better cardio. He just really needs to watch his chin. That being said, Garcia will be the favorite here, probably in the -220 range with the comeback on Spencer around +170. Those are just my initial thoughts on the line for this match, but I believe the fight will be more competitive than the betting line will suggest.
