Two new matchups for upcoming fall cards have been booked, and I’ll give my thoughts on both of these fights in today’s MMA odds and ends.
Sean O’Malley vs. Jose Quinonez, UFC 229
An intriguing bantamweight fight between Sean O’Malley and Jose Quinonez has been added to UFC 229, which goes down Saturday, October 6 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. O’Malley himself confirmed the bout today on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show. O’Malley (10-0) is only 23 and has quickly emerged as one of the brightest young stars in the sport due to his combination of an exciting fighting style and an entertaining personality. O’Malley made the UFC on the strength of a KO win on Dana White’s Contender Series and has since picked up decision wins over Terrion Ware and Andre Soukhamthath in the Octagon. Quinonez (7-2) lost his UFC debut to Alejandro Perez but has since won four straight fights in the Octagon including a decision win over Teruto Ishihara in his last bout at UFC 221. Despite Quinonez having more UFC experience, I like O’Malley in this fight. I think he has a ton of potential and as long as he’s healthy for this fight he should be able to put it all together and get the win.
Ben Nguyen vs. Wilson Reis, UFC Fight Night 142
A flyweight fight between Ben Nguyen and Wilson Reis is the first addition to UFC Fight Night 142, which takes place Saturday, December 1 at Adelaide Entertainment Center in Adelaide, Australia. Combate first reported the news. Nguyen (18-7) is 4-2 in the UFC but is coming off of a submission loss to Jussier Formiga that ruined his title chances, at least for now. The good thing is, Nguyen is only 30 and he’s one of the few fighters in the flyweight division who has legitimate KO power. Reis (22-9) is 6-5 overall in the UFC and he’s lost his last three fights after a three-fight win streak that got him to a title shot against former champion Demetrious Johnson. To be fair to Reis, he’s lost to Johnson, current champ Henry Cejudo and top contender John Moraga during his recent losing skid, but still, at 33 and with a fading chin he won’t be at the top of the division for too much longer. This is a conflict of styles between a striker in Nguyen and a grappler in Reis, and while it could go either way I am leaning towards Nguyen getting the big punch and rattling Reis for the win.
