A number of new bouts were announced over the weekend, and for today’s MMA Odds and Ends I’ll list the bouts and give my thoughts on each. Randa Markos vs. Aisling Daly, UFC 186 Left without an opponent after Claudia Gadelha pulled out of UFC Fight Night 64 with an injury, Aisling Daly will now take on Randa Markos at UFC 186, which takes place April 25 at Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. I love this matchup between Markos and Daly and believe the winner will be only one or two wins away from a strawweight title shot. Both women competed on TUF 20 and while they both lost on the show, both looked great at the finale, with Markos losing a tight “Fight of the Night” split decision to Jessica Penne and Daly defeating Alex Chambers via first-round submission. I’m expecting a fantastic grappling match here, and it’s a tough fight to call. I think Markos is a better all-around fighter, and she will have the hometown advantage, but Daly had a full camp to prepare for this one and she’s also the bigger fighter. I’m expecting Pick ’em odds here, and while I’m not confident in either fighter enough to bet on them, I lean slightly towards Markos to pick up the W. Jussier Formiga vs. Wilson Reis, UFC Fight Night 67 A flyweight battle between Jussier Formiga and Wilson Reis is the latest fight booking for UFC Fight Night 67, which takes place May 31 at Goiania Arena in Goiania, Brazil. The fight will most likely take place on the event’s main card. In a flyweight division lacking title contenders, the winner of Formia vs. Reis will be close to getting a crack at the belt. Formiga has won two-straight fights against Scott Jorgensen and Zach Makovsky and overall is 3-2 in the UFC flyweight division. As for Reis, he’s 3-1 in the UFC and 2-0 at flyweight with wins over Jorgensen and Joby Sanchez. So a win for either man would be huge for their title aspirations. While I don’t think it’s going to be an easy fight, I definitely think Formiga is the better fighter here and with his edge in the grappling department he should be able to grind Reis out for a decision or possibly win by submission. Look for Formiga to be at least a 2-to-1 favorite here. Gilbert Burns vs. Norman Parke, UFC Fight Night 67 As well, a lightweight bout between Gilbert Burns and Norman Parke was added to UFC Fight Night 67. It’s kind of strange matchmaking as Burns is coming off of a win and Parke a loss, but both men must want to get back into the cage ASAP and the UFC just decided to match them up with one another. After seeing Parke get taken down in his last fight against Gleison Tibau, it’s hard not to like Burns here. As long as he doesn’t show up flat like he did against Alex Oliveira in his most recent outing, he should roll over Parke and continue to march up the lightweight ladder. Look for Burns to be a sizable favorite here at around -300. TJ Waldburger vs. Wendell Oliveira, UFC Fight Night 67 A welterweight bout between TJ Waldburger and Wendell Oliveira, which was supposed to take place at UFC Fight Night 61, has been re-booked for UFC Fight Night 67. Waldburger pulled out the day before the fight due to a bad weight cut and combined with his chin issues, it’s just very hard to trust him at this point. Oliveira was the favorite heading the fight the first time, and I expect him to be the favorite once again at around -150. Drew Dober vs. Efrain Escudero, UFC 188 Just a week after being involved in a controversial fight at UFC Fight Night 63 against Leandro Silva, Drew Dober has been booked for his next fight and he’ll take on TUF Latin America 2 coach Efrain Escudero at UFC 188, which is set for June 13 at Mexico City Arena in Mexico City, Mexico. This should be a pretty close, competitive fight, but I lean towards Dober to get the win. I just feel like he’s more aggressive and while the fight is taking place in Mexico, I think the judges will still score it for Dober if he’s the one walking forward throwing strikes. Look for a line close to a Pick ’em, though, as it’s a close fight regardless. Johnny Case vs. Frank Trevino, UFC 188 A lightweight bout Johnny Case and Frank Trevino will take place at UFC 188 after it didn’t go down at UFC Fight Night 59 earlier this year when Trevino pulled out with an injury. Case instead fought Frankie Perez and beat the stuffing out of him, and I expect the good times to keep rolling when he takes on Trevino, who is a limited fighter and who hasn’t fought in a year. Look for Case to be at least 3-to-1 here as he probably picks up another finish. Clay Collard vs. Gabriel Benitez, UFC 188 And finally, a featherweight bout between Clay Collard and Gabriel Benitez was also added to UFC 188. This is going to be a barnburner, and it’s a fight either guy can win. Collard is the better striker but Benitez is the better grappler. Colllard, though, is much younger, and his pure aggression can help him here if he can keep this fight standing. I see this fight having close odds, but I slightly lean towards Collard.
