A couple new fights were announced, and here are initial my thoughts on them.
Frankie Edgar vs. Cub Swanson 2, UFC Fight Night 128
A rematch between Frankie Edgar and Cub Swanson is scheduled for UFC Fight Night 128, which goes down Saturday 21 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. ESPN broke the news. Edgar (22-6-1) is a legend of the sport but was brutally knocked out just a few weeks ago by Brian Ortega. It’s surprising seeing him get back into the Octagon so soon but considering how badly he beat Swanson the first time they fought in 2014 he likely thinks this is a winnable fight for him. Swanson (25-8) was submitted by Ortega in his last bout and was considering free agency but ultimately decided to re-sign a new contract with the UFC. A win over Edgar would put him right back in the title hunt. I have to admit I don’t like seeing Edgar return so soon after getting knocked out by considering the way he handled Swanson the first time they fought it makes a lot of sense. Look for Edgar to be the favorite heading into this one.
Warlley Alves vs. Sultan Aliev, UFC 224
The UFC officially announced a welterweight bout between Warlley Alves and Sulan Aliev has been added to UFC 224. The card takes place Saturday, May 12 at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Alves (11-2) is 5-2 in the UFC and is coming off of a decision win over Salim Touahri. He won TUF Brazil a few years ago and holds a notable submission victory over Colby Covington but he needs to get back to the winning ways after going 1-2 in his last three fights. Aliev (14-2) is 1-1 in the UFC with a KO loss to Kenny Robertson and a decision win over Bojan Velickovic. He showed serious knockout power on his way to the UFC but has looked poor overall in the Octagon. It looks like the UFC wants to get Alves a winnable matchup and gave him one o the lowest-ranked welterweights on the roster. Look for Alves to be a big favorite heading into this one.
Jessica Aguilar vs. Jodie Esquibel, UFC Fight Night 131
A women’s strawweight bout between Jessica Aguilar and Jodie Esquibel is the latest addition to UFC Fight Night 131, which takes place Friday, June 1 at Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, New York. MMADNA.nl reported the news. Aguilar (19-6) was for years considered to be one of the world’s elite strawweights but since coming to the UFC she’s 0-2 with decsion losses to Claudia Gadelha and Cortney Casey and hasn’t looked impressive in either fight. Esquibel (6-3) lost a decision to Karolina Kowalkiewicz in her UFC debut. Both fighters are in dire need of a win to stick around the UFC. Even though she’s looked bad in the UFC thus far, you’d have to figure Aguilar is a solid favorite in this one.
Jake Ellenberger vs. Bryan Barberena, UFC Fight Night 131
Also added to UFC Fight Night 131 is a welterweight bout between Jake Ellenberger and Bryan Barberena. Ellenberger (31-13) is coming off of a brutal knockout loss to Mike Perry and has overall lost seven of his last nine fights. He’s had some good performances from time to time but overall has looked like a shell of his former title contender self. Barberena (13-5) is coming off of a decision loss to Leon Edwards and has lost two of three overall. But he’s at least shown durability unlike Ellenberger. I don’t think you can put any money on Ellenberger at this point of his career, and I fully expect Barberena to be the favorite heading into this bout.
