The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has wrapped up its action for the month of March, so let’s take a quick look at three preliminary card barn burners that await us in the upcoming month… Fight: Charles Rosa vs. Shane Burgos Card: UFC 210 Where: Buffalo, NY When: April 8, 2017 Thoughts: This featherweight scrap is expected to be pure fireworks from start to finish, whether it lasts 15 seconds or 15 minutes. I am a fan of both of these 145-pounders, and I expect them to leave it all inside the Octagon when they square off in Buffalo. Rosa is coming off a unanimous-decision win over Kyle Bochniak and will be looking to keep things rolling against Burgos, who plans to keep his undefeated record intact with an impressive victory against his opponent following a solid unanimous-decision win over Tiago dos Santos in his promotional debut. This is an important fight for both featherweights, who want to break into the division’s rankings this year. It will also be a Boston versus New York matchup, with Peabody, MA’s Rosa representing Boston and Woodbury’s Burgos representing New York. Fight: Tim Elliott vs. Louis Smolka Card: UFC on FOX 24 Where: Kansas City, MO When: April 15, 2017 Thoughts: These flyweights are going to go to war in Kansas City in a scrap fight fans are chomping at the bits for. Missouri’s Elliott will have a hometown edge heading into this one, where he aims to bounce back into the win column by taking out Smolka. The Hawaiian will be traveling to enemy territory in Kansas City to take out Elliott and snap his two-fight losing skid. His back is against the wall, and he will be looking to make a statement on Elliott’s turf. This is a fight that should not see a boring second, whether it last seconds or goes the distance for a judges’ decision, which is what many would bet is the more likely outcome. Fight: Bryan Barberena vs. Joe Proctor Card: UFC Fight Night 108 Where: Nashville, TN When: April 22, 2017 Thoughts: Arizona’s Baberena had a successful run at 170 pounds until running into Colby Covington, and a unanimous decision loss to the larger man there prompted his move back down to the UFC’s lightweight division, where he will be greeted by Massachusetts’ Proctor, who has not seen action in over a year. Both of these 155-pounders are generally fun to watch and deliver entertaining performances, which is why I think this bout was a solid selection to be the featured bout for the Fight Pass prelims at UFC Fight Night 108 in Nashville.
