A few fight announcements happened in the last day or so, and for Friday’s MMA Odds and Ends I’ve rounded them up and will give my quick thoughts on them. Daniel Kelly vs. Luke Zachrich, UFC Fight Night 55 A middleweight bout between TUF Nations alum Daniel Kelly and TUF 7 alum Luke Zachrich was added to UFC Fight Night 55, which is set for Nov. 8 at Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia. Kelly lost to Sheldon Westcott on the show, but he’s a four-time Olympic judoka and should look improved in this fight against Zachrich, who is 1-1 since making his official UFC debut earlier this year. I don’t think much of Zachrich as a fighter overall, but I think stylistically if he can keep this fight on the feet he has a good chance to win it, and I expect him to be a slight favorite in the betting lines. Thomas Almeida vs. Tim Gorman, UFC Fight Night 56 Former Legacy FC lightweight champion Thomas Almeida finally has his UFC debut booked, and it’s a matchup against TUF 18 alum Tim Gorman. The two will tango at UFC Fight Night 56, which is set to take place Nov. 8 at Ginasio Municipal Tancredo Neves in Uberlandia, Brazil. Almeida has won all 17 of his career pro fights — all by stoppage — while Gorman struggled badly in his UFC debut against Mitch Gagnon. Almeida is, in my opinion, one of the top lightweight prospects in the sport and I see a very bright future for him. As for Gorman, he’s more or less filler in my eyes. Look for Almeida to be a huge favorite in this fight, and to kick off his UFC career with a devastating finish. Jamie Varner vs. Drew Dober, UFC on FOX 13 And finally, a lightweight contest between Jamie Varner and Drew Dober was added to UFC on FOX 13, which takes place Dec. 13 at U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Both of these fighters are getting one last chance to stick around in the UFC because both men are extremely tough and have always been involved in wars. In Varner’s case, those wars seem to finally be taking their toll on him as he was KOed by Abel Trujillo earlier this year and then broke his ankle against James Krause, while for Dober he got smashed by Nick Hein and Sean Spencer and is only getting another shot in the UFC because of his toughness. Dober of course has a chance to win this fight but Varner, if healthy, is a superior fighter and deserves to be the favorite heading into this matchup in December.
