A number of new UFC bouts were announced yesterday, and for today’s MMA Odds ad Ends I’ll give my quick take on all of them. Fabio Maldonado vs. Hans Stringer, UFC 179 The UFC booked a light heavyweight bout between Fabio Maldonado and Hans Sringer at UFC 179, which takes place Oct. 25 at Ginásio do Maracanãzinho in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I don’t really like this fight and was hoping the UFC would have given Maldonado a better opponent, but it is what it is. Stringer is decent but if Maldonado isn’t completely shot he should be able to take this with his boxing and cardio. Ian McCall vs. John Lineker, UFC Fight Night 56 A flyweight bout between Ian McCall and John Lineker was added to UFC Fight Night 56, which is set for Nov. 8 at Ginásio Municipal Tancredo Neves in Uberlândia, Brazil. This is a fantastic fight between two of the best flyweights in the world and there’s no doubt in my mind the winner will be next in line for a title shot. The fight is going to be very competitive and I could see it going either way and I don’t really have a lean right now, and I expect the opening line to be right around a Pick ’em. James Vick vs. Nick Hein, UFC Fight Night 57 A lightweight bout between James Vick and Nick Hein has been added to UFC Fight Night 57, which takes place Nov. 22 at Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas. Groundandpound.de revealed the news earlier today. This is a decent matchup between two up-and-comers in the lightweight division although I was kind of hoping the UFC would match up Vick with a longer striker. Still, while Hein impressed in his debut I have to favor Vick here to get the W, especially in his home state. Ruslan Magomedov vs. Josh Copeland, UFC Fight Night 57 A heavyweight bout between Ruslan Magomedov and Josh Copeland was also added to UFC Fight Night 57. Copeland won the RFA heavyweight championship to earn his spot on the UFC roster, while Magomedov made his promotional debut back in May, defeating Viktor Pesta via decision. This is a competitive fight and I could see it going either way but I would assume Magomedov would be a slight favorite based on the fact he has fought a higher level of competition in his career. Doo Ho Choi vs. Juan Manuel Puig, UFC Fight Night 57 And finally, a featherweight bout between Doo Ho Choi and Juan Manuel Puig was added to UFC Fight Night 57. This will be Choi’s UFC debut and the promotion is very high on the young South Korean and they are giving him an easy matchup here against Puig, who was knocked out in brutal fashion in his UFC debut against Adriano Martins. Look for Choi to be a huge favorite in this fight and I have a feeling he comes through with flying colors.
