UFC 163 today underwent a number of changes, and many of them are disappointing. The first change comes in the middleweight division as Clint Hester of TUF 17 is out of his fight against TUF Brazil 1 winner Cezar Mutante. Now Mutante will take on Thiago Santos (not the same as the Bellator heavyweight), who competed on season two of TUF Brazil and who will take this fight against Mutante on very short notice. The Mutante vs. Santos fight is on the main card for UFC 163 and I think that speaks volumes as to how poor this card is. I don’t think many will care about this matchup and I don’t blame them as it’s not interesting at all, although at the end of the day it is a fight and there will be a betting opportunity available here. I’ll guess Mutante opens up around -300 or so with the comeback on Santos at +250. Mutante will likely be good parlay material but because of the unknowns associated with him missing the last year with injuries, it’s probably best to just pass on a bet for this fight. Unfortunately, though, that wasn’t the only change to the event as Phil Harris is out of his fight against John Lineker and now Lineker will fight Jose Maria Tome. This is another poor replacement fight and one that likely won’t intrigue many viewers, although Lineker is likely to score a highlight-reel knockout in the fight. Look for Lineker to open up around -300 or so, and he’ll likely be good parlay fodder. Arantes In, Pepey Out Vs. Sicilia At UFC On FOX Sports 1:3 Another injury to a Brazil card as Godofredo Pepey is out of his UFC on FOX Sports 1:3 matchup against Sam Sicilia and now Sicilia will fight Felipe Arantes. This is actually a very fun fight and I’m looking forward to seeing Arantes and Sicilia thrown some leather. Both men have solider power and it’s likely that this fight is going to end with one of these two knocked out, so I can already say keep an eye on the UNDER total for this fight. Look for Arantes to open up around -200 or so against Sicilia, who will likely be +150 or so. Matyushenko vs. M’Pumbo Headlines Bellator 99 Bellator today announced that Vladimir Matyushenko will take on Cristian M’Pumbo in the main event of Bellator 99. Yes, you read that correctly. And yes, this fight is not good. This is a very poor main event fight between two light heavyweights who just aren’t very good right now. Matyushenko, who is 42, was cut by the UFC after back-to-back losses while M’Pumbo lost his Bellator light heavyweight title earlier this year, and both men are pretty irrelevant when it comes to the 205-pound ranks these days. Look for this fight to open as a Pick ’em but if I was you, I wouldn’t put my money on either of these guys.
