A couple new fights have been added to September’s UFC Sao Paulo Event, and I’ll give my thoughts on the new matchups in today’s MMA odds and ends.
Ben Saunders vs. Sergio Moraes, UFC Fight Night 137
A welterweight bout between Ben Saunders and Sergio Moraes is headed to UFC Fight Night 137, which goes down Saturday, September 22 at Ginasio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Nolan King of MMA-Today broke the news. Saunders (22-9-2) is coming off of a devastating knockout win over Jake Ellenberger which put him back in the win column after two straight TKO losses. Saunders is 5-3 in his second stint in the UFC and although he has struggled with consistency, he’s definitely an exciting fighter who should be able to stick around the UFC roster for a long time, especialy if he has performances like he did against Ellenberger. Moraes (13-3-1) is coming off of a split decision win over Tim Means and overall he’s an impressive 7-2, 1 NC in the UFC. This should be a really intriguing battle as both men are known for their excellent ground games, though Saunders also has lots of striking talent on the feet. Although he is chinny, I still think Saunders’ muay Thai will be the difference in this fight as I can see him keeping the bout on the feet where I think he should be able to outstrike Moraes and take the decision in this fight.
Tonya Evinger vs. Ketlen Vieira, UFC Fight Night 137
Additionally, a women’s bantamweight bout between Tonya Evinger and Ketlen Vieira has also been added to UFC Fight Night 137. This piece of news is also according to King. Evinger (19-6, 1 NC) is 0-1 in the UFC with a TKO loss to Cris Cyborg in Evinger’s UFC debut, which came as a featherweight. Moving back down to 135lbs now, she’ll be fighting at the weight class where she experienced so much success in Invicta FC, where she was the bantamweight champion there. Vieira (10-0) is undefeated as a pro including a 4-0 mark in the UFC. She has defeated ranked fighters Cat Zingano and Sara McMann in back-to-back fights and some figured that may earn her a title shot, although clearly she will have to wait a bit longer. Considering Vieira is undefeated, it’s hard not to pick her to win this fight, but Evinger is definitely not an easy out and this will likely be the toughest fight of Vieira’s career to date.
