There are a few new fight rumors to report on in today’s MMA odds and ends, including an interim title fight that’s sure to excite fans. Here are the bouts, along with my initial thoughts on them:
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Colby Covington, UFC 224 According to a report by BJPenn.com, UFC 224 is about to get a serious main event. An interim welterweight title bout is being targeted between top conteders Rafael dos Anjos and Colby Covington. The event takes place Saturday, May 12 at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. RDA vs. Covington is being targeted for the main event over the previously-announced women’s bantamweight title fight between Amanda Nunes and Raquel Pennington. RDA (29-9) is a perfect 3-0 since moving up to welterweight including a dominant decision win over Robbie Lawler in his last outing. The former lightweight kingpin will be looking to add a second belt to his mantlepiece. Covington (13-1) is 8-1 overall in the UFC and has won five-straight fights including a dominant decision over Demian Maia his last time out. This is a truly incredible matchup featuring two of the best welterweights in the UFC. I’m expecting tight odds for this one, but perhaps with a lean towards RDA, who is more proven at the championship level in the Octagon.
Michel Prazeres vs. Zak Cummings, UFC Fight Night 129 A welterweight bout featuring Michel Prazeres and Zak Cummings is the latest addition to UFC Fight Night 129, which goes down Saturday, May 19 at Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile. This bout was confirmed by Globo. Prazeres (24-2) is 8-2 in the UFC and has won six-straight fights. He’s been an underrated member of the UFC lightweight division but after multiple failed weight cuts he’s being forced to move up to welterweight. At 5’6″, he’s going to be one of the smallest fighters in the division. Cummings (21-5) is 6-2 in the UFC and is coming off of two-straight wins, but he was recently injured during a bad weight cut for a bout against Thiago Alves and will be coming into this bout on a long layoff. Despite Prazeres’ success in the UFC, he’s still going to be a really small welterweight and Cummings has proven himself to be a winner at 170lbs. I’d expect close odds for this one with perhaps a slight lean towards Cummings, though I’d caution betting against the underrated Prazeres even with the new weight class.
Felipe Silva vs. Claudio Puelles, UFC Fight Night 129
A lightweight matchup between Felipe Silva and Claudio Puelles has also been added to UFC Fight Night 129. Globo also reported this bout. Silva (8-1) is 1-1 in the Octagon with a TKO win over Shane Campbell and a KO loss to Mairbek Taisumov. He has been inactive in general averaging only one fight a year but has been successful when he does compete. Puelles (7-2) is 0-1 in the UFC, having suffered a KO loss to Martin Bravo in his debut. But he’s only 21 and should continue to improve. This is a close fight but I’ll go with the upside and say that Puelles should be favored due to being 12 years younger, even if he hasn’t tasted victory in the Octagon yet.
