The UFC announced a bevy of new fights yesterday, and for today’s MMA Odds and Ends I’ll give my quick thoughts on all of them. Claudia Gadelha vs. Tina Lahdemaki, UFC Fight Night 45 (Atlantic City) The first new bout on the list is the first-ever UFC women’s strawweight bout, which will see top prospect Claudia Gadelha take on Tina Lahdemaki at UFC Fight Night 45. That event takes place July 16 at Revel Casino Resort in Atlantic City, NJ. Lahdemaki is a terrific prospect in her own right but Gadelha is already one of the best in the world at 115lbs and I see her being a sizeable favorite into this fight, possibly around -250. Mike De La Torre vs. Brian Ortega, UFC on FOX 12 A featherweight bout Mike De La Torre and Brian Ortega was added to UFC on FOX 12, which is set to take place July 26 at SAP Center in San Jose, California. Both these guys are promising young fighters and this fight should be closely lines. Based on the lack of respect for De La Torre in his UFC debut, I’m expecting the betting public to slightly favor Ortega in this spot and I see him being a slight favorite heading into this fight. Tony Ferguson vs. Danny Castillo, UFC 176 A lightweight contest between the surging Tony Ferguson and Danny Castillo has been added to UFC 176, which takes place August 2 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Castillo is a solid fighter for sure, but Ferguson could be a top-10 fighter in the lightweight division soon and I definitely see him winning this fight. Since returning from injury he’s looked nothing short of incredible, so while Castillo has looked solid himself there’s no doubt that Ferguson has more momentum heading into this fight and I do expect him to win. Look for Ferguson to be about -250 in this fight, one that if he wins should land him an opponent in the top 10 in his next outing. Tim Boetsch vs. Brad Tavares, UFC Fight Night 47 (Maine) The first bout has been announced for UFC Fight Night 47, and it’s a middleweight bout between Tim Boetsch and Brad Tavares. The event takes place August 16 at Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine, and with Boetsch being from the state it’s likely this bout will serve as the evening’s co-main event. Even with the hometown advantage, though, it’s clear Boetsch is on a huge decline and he’s a good fade in this spot. Although Tavares didn’t look good at all against Yoel Romero in his last fight, Botetsch doesn’t have the wrestling that Romero does and although he has power, Tavares is the more technical striker and should have a big advantage if this fight stays standing. I definitely think Tavares should be favored here around -250 and possibly even higher, and I am already circling him on my calendar as a possible play depending on how the line shapes out in August. Shawn Jordan vs. Jack May, UFC Maine As well, the UFC announced a heavyweight bout between Shawn Jordan and Jack May will take place at UFC Fight Night 47. With both men coming off of knockout losses, this is most likely going to be a loser-leaves-town situation for both men. I really could see this fight going either way as either man could be knocked out at anytime. Still, Jordan should be the favorite in this fight based on his prior UFC victories, and I expect he will be about 2-to-1 here or possibly a bit higher. Jordan Mein vs. Thiago Alves, UFC Fight Night 49 (Tulsa) A welterweight contest between Jordan Mein and Thiago Alves was added to UFC Fight Night 47, which takes place August 23 at BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This should be an excellent fight between two fantastic welterweights and I see it being FOTN at UFC Fight Night 49 depending on what other bouts are added to the card. Although Mein is a very solid fighter, I believe Alves will be a good-sized favorite in this fight, probably around -250 or so, and if he fights like he did in his return to the Octagon and Seth Baczynski, he should win this fight. Tim Elliott vs. Wilson Reis, UFC Tulsa A flyweight bout between Tim Elliott and Wilson Reis was also added to UFC Tulsa. Reis is dropping down to 125lbs for the first time, while Elliotti is looking to build on the strength of a great performance in a loss to Joseph Benavidez in his last fight. This is actually a really competitive fight and Reis could be interesting at 125lbs, but I do lean towards slightly to Elliott due to the perceived hometown advantage and believe he can grind out a decision or get a submission win. Tom Niinimaki vs. Chas Skelly, UFC Tulsa And finally, a featherweight fight between Tom Niinimaki and Chas Skelly was added to UFC Tulsa. This is a pretty competitive fight on paper and I could definitely see Skelly pulling off the upset. However, Niinimaki is the veteran and other than his loss to Niklas Backstrom in his last fight he’s looked great. So I do lean towards him slightly and believe he will be a small favorite in the betting odds.
