The UFC tonight announced a very intriguing welterweight matchup between TUF 17 winner Kelvin Gastelum and Brian Melancon, as the two will tangle at the upcoming UFC on FOX Sports 1 2 card. UFC Tonight first reported on the matchup, which will send the winner to a higher spot in the UFC welterweight rankings. This is an interesting matchup between the TUF winner Gastelum, who is one of the youngest fighters in the UFC, and a fighter coming off an impressive performance in Melancon, who knocked out Seth Baczynski at UFC 162. I’m guessing Gastelum opens up at a -175 favorite with the comeback on Melancon at +125 or so, and at that price I’d consider Gastelum in a parlay but this might be a fight to just pass because Melancon’s knockout power is ridiculous and you never know how Gastelum will look at 170 pounds. Sonnen Re-Signs With UFC, Wants To Move To Middleweight UFC light heavyweight Chael Sonnen, who fights Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in the main event of UFC on FOX Sports 1 1, tonight told UFC Tonight that he has signed a new five-fight contract with the UFC and that after his fight with “Shogun” he will be moving back down to the middleweight division. This is an interesting move for Sonnen and I believe that he’s doing it in the hopes of possibly fighting Chris Weidman should he defeat Anderson Silva in their rematch at UFC 168. That would open up Sonnen for another middleweight title shot and I think that’s what Sonnen wants at this point in his career as he realizes he can’t be competitive with the top light heavyweights in the world anymore. Look for Sonnen to fight another middleweight contender near the end of the year and try to get another title shot at 185 pounds in 2014. Makdessi vs. Forte Added To UFC 165 The UFC today added a lightweight fight between Canadian John Makdessi and Brazilian Renee Forte to the upcoming UFC 165 card, which takes place this September in Toronto. I’m not a huge fan of this fight as I believe that Makdessi should have gotten a striker as an opponent instead of a guy like Forte, who is well-rounded but who doesn’t have the striking ability that Makdessi does. I cap Makdessi at about -200 with the comeback on Forte at +150 or so, because at the end of the day Makdessi has lost fights he’s supposed to have won before and this could be another case here with Forte. So I’ll probably pass on a bet but my pick will be “The Bull” based on his superior striking.
