A number of new bouts have been revealed for UFC Fight Night 138, which takes place Saturday, October 27 at Moncton Events Center in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, and I’ll give my thoughts on these new fights in today’s MMA odds and ends.
Misha Cirkunov vs. Pat Cummins, UFC Fight Night 138
Aaron Bronsteter of TSN.ca revealed a number of new fights for UFC Moncton including an intriguing light heavyweight bout between Misha Cirkunov and Pat Cummins. Cirkunov (13-4) is 4-2 in the UFC but was knocked out in his last two fights. Cummins (10-5) is 6-5 in the UFC and is coming off of a loss to Corey Anderson. Both guys are talented, yet flawed fighters, but Cirkunov is younger and more dynamic. Despite how bad he’s looked lately, Cirkunov should be favored to win this fight against his older, chinny opponent.
Gian Villante vs. Ed Herman, UFC Fight Night 138
Also in Bronsteter’s report is a light heavyweight matchup between Gian Villane and Ed Herman. Villante (16-10) is 6-7 in the UFC and has last three of his last four bouts overall. Herman (23-13, 1 NC) is 37 now and has fallen on hard times with losses in three of his last four fights. He hasn’t fought in over a year and has had a career full of taking damage. However, he is a very tough guy and this could potentially be a dangerous matchup against Villante if it turns into a slugfest. I think Villante is a slight favorite, but it’s not a blowout.
Thibault Gouti vs. Nasrat Haqparast, UFC Fight Night 138
The final new bout Bronsteter revealed is a lightweight fight between Thibault Gouti and Nasrat Haqparast. Gouti (12-3) is 1-4 in the UFC and I have no idea why the UFC keeps giving him fights. Haqparast (9-2) is 1-1 in the UFC and is coming off of a win over Marc Diakese. Gouti is an auto-fade and Haqparast looked really good in his last fight and should be heavily favored here.
Sarah Moras vs. Talita Bernardo, UFC Fight Night 138
A women’s bantamweight matchup between Sarah Moras and Talita Bernardo has been added for this card, and the UFC has officially confirmed Combate’s original report. Moras (5-3) has been in the UFC since 2014 but has managed only four fights in that span, going 2-2 with a loss to Lucie Pudilova in her last outing. Bernardo (5-3) has gone 0-2 so far in the UFC with losses to Irene Aldana and Marion Reneau. Neither of these fighters is going anywhere in the division but Moras should be a slight favorite to win this one.
Gavin Tucker vs. Andre Soukhamthath, UFC Fight Night 138
And finally, the UFC has confirmed a bantamweight bout between Gavin Tucker and Andre Soukamthath, which Nolan King first reported. Tucker (10-1) was looking like a serious featherweight contender until running into Rick Glenn in his last fight and suffering a huge beating. Now, he returns as a bantamweight. Soukhamthath (12-6) is 1-3 in the UFC but all four of his fights have been competitive bouts. Soukhamthath has turned into a gatekeeper but after seeing how bad Tucker looked against Glenn it’s hard to pick him.
