A few fights were announced over the weekend, and for today’s MMA Odds and Ends I’ll round them up and give my initial thought on them. Chad Laprise vs. Francisco Trinaldo, UFC Fight Night 74 A lightweight fight between Chad Laprise and Francisco Trinaldo will take place at UFC Fight Night 74, which goes down August 23 at SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The bout will likely take place on the main card. This matchup is pretty solid, but I do favor Laprise quite a bit. Trinaldo is more explosive and has more pure knockout power, but Laprise is more technical, he has better footwork, he has better cardio, and his wrestling can match Trinaldo’s. I just don’t really see Trinaldo winning this fight unless he can get takedowns, but Laprise is a very underrated wrestler and I don’t see that happening. I like Laprise quite a bit here and believe he should be favored quite heavily in this bout, around -300; anything less than that would provide good value. Henry Cejudo vs. Joseph Benavidez, UFC 191 A flyweight bout between top prospect Henry Cejudo and top contender Joseph Benavidez is set for UFC 191, which goes down September 5 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight will likely open up the main PPV card. MMASucka.com was first to report the fight. This is a really good fight, and not an easy one to call. Cejudo is probably the best wrestler in the division, but Benavidez had excellent takedown defence and on the feet this fight is close. Cejudo probably has the better technical boxing, but Benavidez has proven power and he uses his other limbs better. So it’s tough. This fight will probably play out as a grappling match, though, and in that case I do favor Cejudo, but only slightly. I think Benavidez is a fantastic submission fighter and if he catches Cejudo in a choke it wouldn’t shock me. But more times than not, I think Cejudo can grind Benavidez up against the fence and get a few key takedowns and win the fight. The odds should be competitive, but I’d have to imagine Cejudo is favored yet again as he climbs one step closer to a UFC flyweight title shot against champion Demetrious Johnson.
