This Friday night will be a busy one in the MMA world. All the usual Friday night players will be in action, as Bellator has a card on Spike TV and RFA will be going on AXS TV. UFC Fight Pass will throw their hat in the ring as well for the Friday night viewer, as Titan FC 37 goes down starting at 8pm. Like most Titan cards, the event features a plethora of title fights at the top. Ricky Simon was originally scheduled to fight (sort of) bantamweight champion Brett Johns, but the Brit was forced from the bout with an injury. Anderson dos Santos stepped in for Johns, and will be making his Titan and US debuts fighting for the belt. The featherweight title will also be on the line as Andre Harrison defends his belt against Steven Siler. Harrison will be making the second defense of his belt, while Siler will be making his second challenge for the belt after losing to Des Green back in December 2014. Finally, Tim Elliott hopes to extend his run as Titan’s only flyweight champion as he faces yet another Brazilian in Pedro Nobre. Elliott has only fought in title fights since moving from the UFC to Titan, while Nobre is also a veteran of the Octagon. He became infamous for his reaction to an innocuous shot to the back of the head from Iuri Alcantara, and was released from the promotion following the fight. MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas opened the betting lines for the top five fights at Titan FC 37 today at Several Bookmakers. Take a look: ——————– MAIN CARD (UFC Fight Pass, 8pm ET)
——————– Brad’s Analysis: Simon and Johns would have been an interesting fight, but I probably would have sided with the Brit. Now, Simon is getting a bit of a gift in the form of a wild opponent who doesn’t have great technique or cardio, and has never fought outside of his native Brazil. Dos Santos is definitely dangerous, but Simon should be able to navigate the danger and win a decision at worst. We’ve seen this fight before, when Siler fought Des Green. However, this time Siler is facing a better wrestler who is more willing to work to his strengths in Harrison. Unless Siler can land something as Harrison tries to close the distance, or perhaps lock up a guillotine on a takedown, Harrison should muscle him for five rounds. I find it difficult to trust Tim Elliott. He’s certainly the most skilled and durable flyweight in Titan, but he’s prone to lose focus in fights and give away rounds because of it. Against Iliarde Santos, he turned a blowout of a fight into one that he needed to win the last round in, for no reason at all. If that happens against the more talented Nobre, Elliott could be in trouble, but I can’t be against him for just that reason. The other two fights are strange and extremely one-sided. I honestly didn’t realize WEC vet Mushin Corbbrey was still actively competing in MMA until I researched this card, and he hasn’t been doing too well. I expect Pat Healy to get his grinding wrestling game going, and perhaps even find a submission in quick order here. I definitely expect that to be the case with Anthony Gutierrez, who makes a habit of putting away overmatched opponents in short order. They’re both too high for my tastes for parlays, but if you don’t mind the prices, they’re safe.