Two new featherweight matchups have been announced for upcoming UFC cards. Here they are, along with my thoughts on each. Levan Makashvili vs. Hacran Dias, UFC Fight Night 70 Due to an injury to Chas Skelly, Levan Maskashvili has agreed to replace him and will now take on Hacran Dias at UFC Fight Night 70, which takes place July 27 at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight will likely take place on the prelims, although it could sneak its way onto the main card. This is a pretty decent fight and I could see it going either way as both men have similar styles. Both guys will look to grind you up against the fence and take you to the ground to control you, and neither guy is much of a finisher. Makashvili has less wear-and-tear on his body, but Dias has more Octagon experience and trains at Nova Uniao, one of the top camps in the game. So both guys have advantages working for them. It’s a close fight that likely goes to decision but I think Makashvili is just a bit fresher and a bit more hungry at this point, so I do lean towards him a little bit, but this really is a fight I could see going either way. As for the odds, expect a close betting line for this fight, perhaps with a slight lean towards Makashvili. Maximo Blanco vs. Mike De La Torre, TUF 21 Finale A featherweight bout between Maximo Blanco and Mike De La Torre has been added to the TUF 21 Finale, which goes down July 12 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. This fight will be a prelim. Blanco and De La Torre are both very aggressive fighters and I expect both men to put on a good show for the fans. De La Torre is coming off of a vicious knockout win over Tiago Trator while Blanco defeated Dan Hooker in an absolute war, so both guys are coming into this fight off of good victories. I expect men to be super aggressive in this one, and I could see either guy getting a stoppage. But I do believe De La Torre has slightly-better cardio, so if this fight does go the full three rounds I think he’ll pull out the decision if Blanco gasses early like he usually does. Either way, it should be a fun scrap, and the betting line should be close to a Pick ’em with a slight lean towards Blanco.
