The main event of an upcoming summer fight card in the UFC has been set. That and more in today’s MMA odds and ends.
Justin Gaethje vs. Al Iaquinta, UFC Fight Night 135
A lightweight bout between top-ranked Justin Gaethje and Al Iaquinta will headline UFC Fight Night 135, which goes down Saturday, August 25 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska. The bout was first reported by Brett Okamoto of ESPN. Gaethje (18-2) is so far just 1-2 in the UFC but all three of his fights have won “Fight of the Night” awards including his TKO win over Michael Johnson and his KO losses to Eddie Alvarez and Dustin Poirier. Gaethje is one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC right now and is always a treat to watch but it is somewhat shocking he is returning to the Octagon so soon after the brutal loss to Poirier he suffered. Iaquinta (13-4-1) was riding a five-fight win streak before taking a fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov on short notice which he lost via decision. Although Iaquinta lost the fight to Nurmagomedov he showed his heart and cardio in the bout and overall it was an impressive showing considering the short notice. As good as Gaethje is I don’t like him returning to soon after the KO loss to Poirier and I honestly think Iaquinta should be favored in this fight as he’s the more durable fighter at this point of time.
UFC Moncton Announced
The UFC has announced it will head to Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada for the first time for a Fight Night card at the new Moncton Events Center on Saturday, October 27. No bouts have yet been announced for this card but you can expect a solid main event as well as a number of other exciting matches featuring Canadian fighters on the card.
