Two new UFC lightweight matchups have been announced for upcoming 2015 fight cards, and for today’s MMA Odds and Ends I’ll give my thoughts on both fights. Danny Castillo vs. Paul Felder, UFC 182 Following the withdrawal of Rustam Khabilov from UFC 182 due to visa issues, the UFC took Paul Felder out of his UFC Fight Night 59 matchup with Johnny Case and slid him into UFC 182 against Danny Castillo. The two lightweights will now meet in a lightweight bout at 2015’s first PPV, which takes place January 3 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The news is according to MMAJunkie.com. This is a really good fight, in my opinion. Castillo has been very impressive the last year or so even though his record may not show it, as his only recent losses are to lightweight contenders Tony Ferguson and Edson Barboza via split/majority decision, and he’s defeated fighters such as Charlie Brenneman in brutal fashion. I thought the UFC was doing him a solid by giving him the opportunity to fight the top-15 ranked Khabilov, but even though Felder isn’t ranked, this is still a good fight. Felder was very impressive in his UFC debut, taking out Jason Saggo by split decision at UFC Fight Night 54. He’s a very good prospect at 155lbs and, while Castillo will certainly represent the best opponent he’s fought to date, it’s still a winnable fight for him if you as me. Having said that, I do expect Castillo to open as a slight favorite here in the -160 range, but you can’t count out Felder in this fight — it should be a good one either way. Johnny Case vs. Frank Trevino, UFC Fight Night 59 With Case in need of an opponent following the removal of Felder, the UFC called upon Frank Trevino to take his spot at UFC Fight Night 59, and now Case will meet Trevino in a lightweight bout January 18 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. While I viewed Case vs. Felder as a fair fight, I view Case vs. Trevino as a mismatch. Yes, Trevino did pick up a decision win over Renee Forte in his promotional debut at UFC 171, but it wasn’t exactly a standout performance and he barely edged by in that one. Contrast that to Case, who absolutely destroyed Kazuki Tokudome in his debut at UFC Fight Night 52. Obviously matchups are everything and perhaps the UFC sees something in Trevino’s game that they think can give Case issues, but I personally don’t and I expect Case to steamroll him in this fight. As far as a betting line goes, look for Case to open as a decent favorite here, likely in the -250 range as he continues to try and build his lightweight win streak.
