A busy week of UFC fight announcements continued as a number of new fights have been booked for upcoming fight cards, and in today’s MMA odds and ends I’ll give my thoughts on them all.
Li Jingliang vs. Daichi Abe, UFC Fight Night 132
A welterweight bout between Li Jingliang and Daichi Abe will take place at UFC Fight Night, which goes down Saturday, June 23 at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. The report is from Raphael Marinho of Combate. Jingliang (14-5) is 6-3 in the UFC and is coming off of a decision loss to Jake Matthews that snapped a four-fight win streak for him. Abe (6-1) is 1-1 in the UFC and lost a decision to Luke Jumeau in his last fight. This should actually be a pretty good fight between two guys who will likely stand in the pocket and trade. In what should be a slobberknocker of a fight, I’d look for Jingliang to be a considerable favorite in this fight considering his winning experience in the UFC.
Oskar Piechota vs. Gerald Meerschaert, TUF 27 Finale
A middleweight matchup pitting Oskar Piechota and Gerald Meerschaert will take place at the TUF 27 Finale, which goes down Friday, July 6 at The Pearl Theater in Las Vegas, Nevada. The bout was reported by Artur Mazur. Piechota (11-0-1) is 2-0 in the UFC and knocked out Tim Williams in his last fight. Meerschaert (27-9) is 3-1 in the UFC and knocked out Eric Spicely in vicious fashion in his last fight. He has a ton of experience and has historically been a very underrated fighter. Both guys are very good fighters. I expect Meerschaert to get some love from bettors, but ultimately believe the oddsmakers will open Piechota a slight favorite due to his undefeated record.
Paul Felder vs. James Vick, UFC Fight Night 133
A lightweight bout between Paul Felder and James Vick is the latest addition to UFC Fight Night 133, which is set to take place Saturday, July 14 at CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho. MMAToday broke the news. Felder (15-3) is one a three-fight winning streak with all of those wins by TKO including a finish over Charles Oliveira in his last matchup. A recent bout against Al Iaquinta fell apart at the last minute at UFC 223 but Felder is ready to go now. Vick (13-1) is on a four-fight win streak at the moment and recently defeated Francisco Trinaldo via decision. Both guys are fighting at a very high level right now and both guys should get a top-10 opponent with a win. I expect a competitive line for this one, with perhaps a slight lean towards Felder as he is more durable.
