A few new UFC bouts were announced this week that somehow slipped past the view of most folk, and for today’s MMA Odds and Ends I’ll give my initial thoughts on all of them. Mike Rhodes vs. George Sullivan, UFC on FOX 10 The first new fight announced this week is a welterweight bout between UFC newcomers Mike Rhodes and George Sullivan, which takes place at UFC on FOX 10. Both men are only getting about two weeks to prepare, so it will be interesting to see what kind of condition they come in. Both are highly-touted prospects so I’d expect the line to be close, and until I watch more tape on Sullivan (a Kurt Pellegrino product), I can’t say if he’ll defeat or be defeated by the Duke Roufus product Rhodes. Danny Martinez vs. Chris Cariaso, UFC 169 An injury to Kyoji Horiguchi made it possible for Danny Martinez to get his chance in the Octagon, and at UFC 169 he’ll take on Chris Cariaso in a flyweight bout. This is going to be a fun fight like all 125-pound bouts usually end up being, but I have to give Cariaso the edge here as he’s had a full training camp and Martinez is taking the fight on very short notice. Frank Trevino vs. Renee Forte, UFC 171 A lightweight bout between UFC newcomer Frank Trevino and Renee Forte will take place at UFC 171. Trevino is making his UFC debut, while Forte is looking to get back on track after a KO loss to John Makdessi at UFC 165. Forte is a solid fighter but Trevino is a solid prospect coming over from Legacy FC, and he should be very competitive with Forte. This is a close fight and I’d expect it to be near a Pick ’em. Davey Grant vs. Roland Delorme, UFC Fight Night 37 UFC Fight Night 37, which takes place this March in London, England, will feature a bantamweight clash between Davey Grant and Roland Delorme. This should be a very exciting fight between two high-level grapplers and could very well be in contention for FOTN when it’s all said and done. Although Grant will be fighting at home, I actually think Delorme is a more well-rounded fighter and I give him a slight edge here, but the line will be close for sure. Thiago Santos vs. Ronny Markes, UFC Fight Night 38 A middleweight bout between Thiago Santos and Ronny Markes has been added to March’s UFC Fight Night 38 event in Natal, Brazil. Maybe Santos is better than I think he is, but this really does seem like a mismatch in Markes’ favor and I’d be surprised if Santos pulled off the W. Look for Markes to be a large favorite here and to get back on track with a dominating win. Scott Jorgensen vs. Jussier Formiga, UFC Fight Night 38 Also, a flyweight bout between Scott Jorgensen and Jussier Formiga also takes place at UFC Fight Night 38. Both fighters haven’t fared well as of late and both likely need a win to stay in the UFC. This is a close fight but I’d have to give the edge to Jorgensen based on his wrestling ability, although you can’t count Formiga and his submission game out at all. Miesha Tate vs. Liz Carmouche, UFC on FOX 11 And finally, a women’s bantamweight bout between Miesha Tate and Liz Carmouche has been added to UFC on FOX 11, the same card that will hold the No. 1 contender’s bout between heavyweights Travis Browne and Fabricio Werdum. Both Tate and Carmouche match up pretty well so I’d expect a close, competitive fight here, but Tate will for sure enter as the favorite due to all the public hype behind her. But would I lay my own cash down on Tate? No way.
