Pedro Munhoz vs John Dodson at UFC Fight Night 125 – Feb. 3
Sportv.globo announced Pedro Munhoz vs John Dodson yesterday. Munhoz (15-2 1 no contest) has won four straight fights after submitting Rob Font this past October. Dodson (19-9) most recently lost a razor thin split decision to top contender Marlon Moraes. This should be a spectacular bantamweight showdown as both fighters are legitimate top 15 bantamweights and are looking to surge into contention in the division. I would expect Munhoz to open as a betting favorite due to being a natural 135-er with a more well-rounded game due to his elite grappling.
Also, Abubakar Nurmagomedov was briefly tied to a fight against Sergio Moraes yesterday, then was pulled from the bout and Moraes was instead announced to be fighting Tim Means. Here’s the updated fight card for UFN 125:
185 lbs.: Lyoto Machida vs. Eryk Anders
125 lbs.: Valentina Shevchenko vs. Priscila Cachoeira
185 lbs.: Thiago Santos vs. Anthony Smith
265 lbs.: Timothy Johnson vs. Marcelo Golm
125 lbs.: Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Joseph Morales
115 lbs.: Maia Stevenson vs. Polyana Viana
155 lbs.: Alan Patrick vs. Damir Hadžović
135 lbs.: Iuri Alcântara vs. Joe Soto
155 lbs.: Michel Prazeres vs. Desmond Green
170 lbs.: Sérgio Moraes vs. Tim Means
135 lbs.: John Dodson vs. Pedro Munhoz
James Vick vs Francisco Trinaldo at UFC Fight Night 126 UFC announced a lightweight bout between James Vick and Francisco Trinaldo yesterday. Vick (12-1) has won three consecutive bouts while Trinaldo (22-5) most recently defeated Jim Miller this past October. Both men have won eight of their last nine fights and the winner of this bout should easily have a case for a top 15 ranking in the crowded 155-pound division. Trinaldo is older, but has more quality wins in the UFC than Vick, although Vick has a more well-rounded skill-set. I think the odds for this fight should be close, although I wouldn’t be shocked if Trinaldo is opened as the betting favorite due to his strength of competition. Also announced, Jared Gordan vs Carlos Diego Ferreira at lightweight. Here’s an updated look at the fight card in Austin, Texas:
170 lbs.: Donald Cerrone vs. Yancy Medeiros
155 lbs.: Sage Northcutt vs. Thibault Gouti
265 lbs.: Derrick Lewis vs. Marcin Tybura
125 lbs.: Ray Borg vs. Brandon Moreno
135 lbs.: Tonya Evinger vs. Marion Reneau
135 lbs.: Lucie Pudilova vs. Sarah Moras
170 lbs.: Brian Camozzi vs. Geoffrey Neal
115 lbs.: Jessica Aguilar vs Livia Renata Souza
125 lbs.: Joby Sanchez vs. Roberto Sanchez
155 lbs.: James Vick vs. Francisco Trinaldo
155 lbs.: Jared Gordon vs. Carlos Diego Ferreira
Jimi Manuwa vs Jan Blachowicz at UFC Fight Night 127 The rematch no one was asking for is being made. Jim Manuwa vs Jan Blachowicz was announced on the UFC’s Europe twitter account yesterday morning. Manuwa (17-3) won a ho-hum decision the last time these two men fought in April of 2015 in a bout that was spent in the clinch for extended periods of time. Blachowicz (21-7) is experiencing a bit of a resurgence after winning two straight bouts, most recently earning an upset victory over Jared Cannonier a little over two weeks ago. Manuwa was on the verge of title contention before he was knocked out by Volkan Oezdemir in his last bout, so I expect him to open as the betting favorite here.
