A few new UFC bouts were announced this week. Here they are, along with my thoughts on them. Ray Borg vs. Geane Herrera, UFC Fight Night 73 A flyweight matchup between Ray Borg and Geane Herrera has been added to UFC Fight Night 73, which takes place August 8 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. It will likely take place on the prelims. We all know Borg is a top prospect, so this is weird matchmaking for me. Borg has already proven he can be competitive with top-10 UFC flyweights so for the promotion to match him up with a newcomer is very strange. Herrera is coming over from RFA and he’s undefeated on the regional circuit, but he’s fought mediocre competition up until this point and Borg is a massive step up for him. Herrera is going to win some fights in the UFC, but not this one. I like Borg a lot here, and believe he should be a big favorite once again. Sean O’Connell vs. Misha Cirkunov, UFC Fight Night 74 A light heavyweight fight featuring the popular Sean O’Connell and top Canadian prospect Misha Cirkunov has been booked for UFC Fight Night 74, which is set to take place August 23 at SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It may end up taking place on the main card. O’Connell is a really fun fighter to watch, but he has flaws, namely in his striking defence, and Cirkunov is an awesome striker. He will likely take a lot of damage in this fight if it stays standing, so his best method of victory will be to push Cirkunov against the fence and work him in the clinch. Cirkunov is very strong, though, so that won’t be easy to do, and anytime this fight stays at distance there is the possibility Cirkunov lands a big strike and knocks O’Connell out. This is a good fight, but it seems like the UFC is giving Cirkunov a stylistically favorable matchup for his UFC debut, and I expect him to come away with the win. Look for Cirkunov to enter the fight as a small favorite as he aims to pick up a big win over a tough veteran in his Octagon debut.
