Eight new UFC bouts were booked overnight, and for Thursday’s MMA Odds and Ends I’ll list all the bouts and give my quick thoughts on the ones I find the most compelling. Gleison Tibau vs. Norman Parke, UFC Fight Night 59 Following an injury to Jorge Masvidal, Gleison Tibau has been called upon to replace him and the veteran lightweight will take on Norman Parke at UFC Fight Night 59, which takes place January 18 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. This is a good fight and I think a better matchup, as I thought Masvidal should have got someone like Edson Barboza or Bobby Green for his next fight, not an unranked guy like Parke. Tibau is a great test for Parke at this point of his career an if he can win, he’ll prove his legitimacy in the lightweight division. Tibau is a tough guy to beat but Parke absolutely has the tools to do it if he can keep away from the clinch and hit Tibau in the chin. It’s a competitive fight on paper, but considering the short notice factor, it’s likely fair for Parke to enter as a slight favorite. Akira Corassani vs. Sam Sicilia, UFC on FOX 14 In a featherweight bout, Akira Corassani will take on Sam Sicilia at UFC on FOX 14, which takes place January 24 at Tele2 Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. Sicilia is 3-3 in the UFC and Corassani is 3-2 in the UFC and while both guys are favorites of the matchmakers, both men desperately need a win to keep their job. I think Corassani is actually the more talented of these two and will enjoy the hometown edge in this bout, but Sicilia is a heavy hitter and can absolutely score a big knockout if he hit Corassani’s questionable chin, so I have to figure he’s a slight favorite entering the fight. In addition to those two new men’s bouts, the UFC added the following fights to the TUF 20 Finale, which takes place December 12 at the Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. Felice Herrig vs. Lisa Ellis Angela Magana vs. Tecia Torres Joanne Calderwood vs. Seo Hee Ham Heather Jo Clark vs. Bec Rawlings Alex Chambers vs. Aisling Daly Angela Hill vs. Emily Kagan From these bouts, the ones that I am eyeing for bets are Magana vs. Torres, Calderwood vs. Ham and Hill vs. Kagan. I really like Torres over Magana and think it’s pretty obvious the UFC wants Torres to win this fight. I expect her to be a big favorite there, but she’ll be good for parlays. As for Calderwood vs. Ham, I really like Calderwood there a lot as I believe she’s one of the best strawweights on the roster. And finally, with Hill vs. Kagan, Hill has no experience but from what I have seen she can keep this fight against Kagan standing and light her up on the feet. If she’s an underdog like I expect her to be, I’ll likely take a shot at her for a small bet. The lines will be released next week for this event, so we’ll find out soon what the odds are on these fights.
