A couple new UFC bouts were revealed over the weekend. Here they are, along with my thoughts on them.
Dennis Bermudez vs. Te Edwards, UFC on ESPN+ 1
Featherweights Dennis Bermudez and Te Edwards will meet at UFC on ESPN+ 1, which takes place January 19 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Newsday first reported the bout. Bermudez (16-9) is 9-7 in the UFC overall but is currently stuck in an 0-4 skid that has left him contemplating retirement. In his last fight, he lost a split decision to Rick Glenn that gave him the dreaded four-fight win streak that few UFC fighters can recover from, and it remains to be seen where Bermudez will go from here if he loses once again. If he wins, great, he keeps his UFC job, but if he loses I can see him following through on hanging up his gloves. Edwards (6-2) is 0-1 so far in the UFC, having lost via TKO to Don Madge in his UFC debut. That was a fight everyone was expecting Edwards to win, but he had a very disappointing performance as he was brutally knocked out. Still, I think he’s a pretty solid prospect, and would give him a good chance of beating Bermudez in this fight. I’m expecting a close line here with a slight lean towards Edwards as I believe most bettors will look to fade Bermudez in this spot.
Shane Young vs. Austin Arnett, UFC 234
A battle between featherweights Shane Young and Austin Arnett is targeted for UFC 234, which takes place February 9 at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia. The NZ Herald reported the news. Young (12-4) is 1-1 in the UFC with a TKO win over Rolando Dy in his last bout that won him a share of “Fight of the Night.” Especially looking back in hindsight, his decision loss against Alexander Volkanovski in his UFC debut is not a bad loss by any means. Arnett (16-5) is 1-2 in the UFC, having recently picked up his first victory in the Octagon over Humberto Bandenay by decision. This is a pretty close fight on paper but given Young will be fighting in front of his hometown crowd, I’d give him a slight lean here.
Beneil Dariush vs. Drew Dober, UFC on ESPN+ 4
Lightweights Beneil Dariush and Drew Dober will lock horns at UFC on ESPN+ 4, which is set for March 9 at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas. Farah Hannoun broke the news. Dariush (15-4-1) is 9-4-1 overall in the UFC and defeated Thiago Moises by decision in his last fight. Dober (20-8, 1 NC) is 6-4, 1 NC overall in the UFC and is riding a surprising three-fight win streak at the moment with victories over Jon Tuck, Frank Camacho and Josh Burkman. Dober absolutely deserves this step up in competition given his recent win streak, but I’d still favor Dariush in this fight just based on the fact he’s fought better competition. Plus, Dairush has at least proven he can hang with some of the best guys in the world unlike Dober, who has struggled almost every time he’s stepped up in competition.
