A busy week of fights announcements continued with the addition of a couple more intriguing new matchups for upcoming fight cards, and in today’s MMA odds and ends I’ll give my initial thoughts on them.
Brandon Davis vs. Enrique Barzola, UFC Fight Night 129
A featherweight matchup featuring Brandon Davis and Enrique Barzola will take place at UFC Fight Night 129, which takes place Saturday, May 19 at Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile. Davis himself broke the matchup on social media. Davis (9-3) is 1-1 so far in the UFC. He bounced back from a decision loss to Kyle Bochniak in his debut to defeat Steven Peteson in his last fight. Barzola (14-3-1) is a quiet 4-1 in the UFC and has won three-straight fights since a loss to Bochniak. I think Barzola is one of the more underrated featherweights on the UFC roster right now and I expect him to be favored here.
Holly Holm vs. Megan Anderson, UFC 225
A women’s featherweight fight between Holly Holm and Megan Anderson has been added to the stacked UFC 225 card, which is set for Saturday, June 9 at United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The UFC made the fight booking official. Holm (11-4) is 4-4 in the UFC and is coming off of a decision loss to Cyborg in her last outing. I still think she would be better off at 135lbs but the UFC clearly wants her to fight at featherweight. Anderson (8-2) has won four-straight fights by knockout and is seen as one of Cyborg’s future challengers. Despite the fact Anderson hasn’t been active in over a year, I still think she will be the favorite in this fight as bettors will look to fade Holm.
Rob Font vs. Raphael Assuncao, UFC 226
A bantamweight bout between Rob Font and Raphael Assuncao is the latest addition to UFC 226, which is set for Saturday, July 6 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The news was reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Font (15-3) is 5-2 in the UFC and he’s coming off of his signature UFC win to date, a head kick KO over Thomas Almedia. Assuncao (26-5) is 10-2 in the UFC and is coming off of three-straight wins, including a KO over Matthew Lopez in his last outing. Both these guys are terrific fighters but it’s hard to ever bet against Assuncao and I believe he should be the favorite here.
Shogun/Oezdemir Rescheduled Due to Visa Issues
The light heavyweight bout between Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Volkan Oezdemir, which had been set to take place at UFC Fight Night 129, has been moved due to visa issues for Oezdemir. The news was reported by Combate. It’s expected the fight will be moved to another card.
