A few new fights bookings plus the announcement of a brand-new card in today’s MMA odds and ends:
UFC Germany Targeted For July 22
The UFC announced it is officially headed back to Germany. The promotion will hold an event on Sunday, July 22 at Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg, Germany. It’s the first card in Germany since UFC Fight Night 93 in September 2016, when Josh Barnett defeated Andrei Arlovski in a thrilling fight. There are no matchups currently set for UFC Hamburg, however the promotion stated that Peter Sobotta, Jarjis Danho and Jessin Ayari are slated for the card. With Dennis Siver not currently fighting for the UFC, it will be interesting to see what kind of headliner the UFC comes up with for this card.
Gilbert Burns vs. Dan Moret, UFC on FOX 29
An injury to Landon Vannata has forced him off of UFC on FOX 29, and now Gilbert Burns will fight UFC newcomer Dan Moret. UFC on FOX 29 takes place Saturday, April 14 at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, and the headliner is a lightweight firefight between contenders Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje. MMAFighting.com had the news. Burns (13-2) is 5-2 overall in the UFC and is coming off of a brutal KO win over Jason Saggo. Though Burns is known for his grappling and submissions, the fact he was able to score such a vicious knockout is promising. Moret (13-3) took this fight on short notice and was signed to the UFC after back-to-back submission wins on the regional circuit. He’s a solid prospect and should be a good addition to the UFC lightweight division. Based on Burns’ UFC experience and the fact Moret took the fight o short notice, one would have to imagine Burns will be a solid favorite heading into this fight.
Arnold Allen vs. Mads Burnell, UFC Fight Night 130
A featherweight bout between Arnold Allen and Mads Burnell has been added to UFC Fight Night 130, which takes place Sunday, May 27 at Echo Arena in Liverpool, England. Reporter Jim Edwards of MMANytt.com broke the news. Allen (12-1) is a perfect 3-0 in the UFC and is running a five-fight win streak at the moment. But he has only been averaging one fight a year which has hindered his ability to move up the ladder. At only 24, though, he still has plenty of time to start making a run for the top-15. Burnell (9-2) is 1-1 in the UFC overall. He’s also only 24 though he doesn’t come with nearly the pedigree that Allen has. Though Allen hasn’t fought regularly, he’s still a promising prospect, and I’d expect him to be the consensus favorite to win this fight.
