Numerous new UFC bouts were announced in the last few days, and in today’s MMA odds and ends I’ll give my thoughts on them.
Warlley Alves vs. James Krause, UFC Fight Night 135
A welterweight matchup between Warlley Alves and James Krause is the latest addditon to UFC Fight Night 135, which goes down Saturday, August 25 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska. The fight was reported by Raphael Marinho of Globo. Alves (12-2) is coming off of two straight wins and finished Sultan Aliev via TKO in his last fight. Krause (25-7) has quielty won four straight fights but it will be interesting to see how he fares at welterweight. It should be a good fight but I lean towards Alves to get the win. He’s just more proven at welterweight and while he hasn’t lived up to his full potential yet I still think he’s a really solid fighter.
Jim Miller vs. Alex White, UFC 228
Lightweights Jim Miller and Alex White will meet at UFC 228, going down Sat. September 8 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The bout has been made official by the UFC. Miller (28-12, 1 NC) has lost four straight fights and was knocked out in devastating fashion by Dan Hooker in his last outing. White (12-4) is coming off of a decision loss to James Krause and has been inconsistent overall in the UFC. That being said, I think you have to fade Miller in this spot and go with the younger White. Even if he doesn’t have the name value of Miller he does have the striking advantage and it should come in handy in this fight.
Hector Lombard vs. Thales Leites, UFC Fight Night 137
A middlewieght bout between Hector Lombard and Thales Leites will take place at UFC Fight Night 137, which is set for Saturday, September 22 at Ginasio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Globo reported the bout. Lombard (34-9-1, 2 NC) is coming off of five straight losses and in his last bout was handed a DQ loss against CB Dollaway for punches after the bell. Technically he hasn’t won a fight since taking a decision over Jake Shields in March 2014. Leites (27-9) was finished by Jack Hermansson in his last fight, the first TKO loss of his career. Still, I have to go with Leites here as I just have no idea how anyone could pick Lombard at this point.
Francisco Trinaldo vs. Evan Dunham, UFC Fight Night 137
Also added to UFC Fight Night 137 is a lightweight bout between Francisco Trinaldo and Evan Dunham. It’s yet another bout reported by Globo. Trinaldo (22-6) is coming off of a decision loss to James Vick but overall has won eight of his last 10 bouts. Dunham (18-7, 1 NC) had his five-fight unbeaten streak snapped by Olivier Aubin-Mercier in his last fight. Although this should be a really competitive matchup I still have to give the edge to Trinaldo, who despite being the older fighter in this matchup appears to have more left in the tank. The hometown edge should also help him out in what should be a very close fight in the Octagon.
