A number of new UFC bouts were announced for upcoming fight cards and for today’s MMA Odds and Ends I’ll give my thoughts on them. Kyle Noke vs. Andreas Stahl, UFC Fight Night 65 A welterweight bout between Kyle Noke and Andreas Stahl is the latest addition to UFC Fight Night 65, which takes place May 10 at Adelaide Entertainment Centre in Adelaide, Australia. The fight is will be on the prelims. It’s a tough fight to call. Neither guy has looked particularly impressive in the UFC, but Noke is a lot older and he’s coming off of a long layoff. I don’t think too highly of Stahl, but he’s a decent prospect and he can probably find a way to grind out Noke in this spot. It’s a close fight to call and the odds will be competitive, but I have to lean Stahl as Noke is probably good fade material at this point. Gegard Mousasi vs. Costas Philippou, UFC Fight Night 66 A middleweight bout between Gegard Mousasi and Costas Philippou will serve as the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 66, which takes place May 16 at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Philippines. I’m surprised the UFC didn’t book Philippou against Uriah Hall in a grudge match, but I like this fight with Mousasi. Both men are ranked fighters, both men are coming off of knockout wins, and both are always in exciting fights. So this is a good matchup. Having said that, I have to lean towards Mousasi here, as he’s just the more experienced and proven fighter and the more talented one, to boot, and I expect him to be a heavy favorite entering the fight. Hyun Gyu Lim vs. Neil Magny, UFC Fight Night 66 As well, a welterweight bout between Hyun Gyu Lim and Neil Magny was also added to UFC Fight Night 66. A lot of people are surprised Magny, who is riding a six-fight win streak, gets Lim for his next fight, but I like the matchup. As good as Magny is, it’s time he fought someone who can match his height and length and who has knockout power, and Lim is the perfect guy for the job. A lot of people will like Magny here, and it’s tough not to back him after his win streak, but I like Lim. I think he’s really dangerous and if he can connect with Magny’s chin, it’s going to be over quickly. I expect close odds here and Lim may be a slight underdog because of the hype on Mangy, but I have to lean towards him to get the win. Dong Hyun Kim vs. Josh Burkman, UFC 187 And finally, a welterweight bout between Josh Burkman and Dong Hyun Kim is the latest addition to the stacked UFC 187 card, which takes place May 23 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Placed on a card that is already home to five great main card fights, Kim vs. Burkman will likely be a prelim. This is an odd matchup as Kim is ranked while Burkman is not, but I do like the fight. Kim was on a roll, tearing through the welterweight division before he was knocked out by Tyron Woodley last summer, while for Burkman he recently returned to the UFC and suffered a decision loss to Lombard that will likely be turned into a No Contest after Lombard tested positive for steroids. Both men are very aggressive and durable and I think this fight between them should be fun. Having said that, I still heavily lean towards Kim to pick up the win here. He’s better in almost every area of the game and while his chin isn’t as good as Burkman’s, as long as he doesn’t get KOed he should be able to use his wrestling to find a way to win this fight.
