A couple new UFC bouts have been announced, including a possible title eliminator in the lightweight division, and here are my initial thoughts on them in today’s MMA odds and ends.
Alex Oliveira vs. Carlo Pedersoli Jr., UFC Fight Night 137
A welterweight bout between Alex Oliveira and Carlo Pedersoli Jr. will take place at UFC Fight Night 137, which goes down Saturday, September 22 at Ginasio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Pedersoli Jr. is filling in on short notice for Neil Magny, who was re-booked against Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC Fight Night 140. Combate broke the news. Oliveira (19-4-1, 2 NC) has an impressive record of 8-3, 1 NC since entering the UFC in 2015. He is coming off of a submission win over Carlos Condit and has won six figthts overall by stoppage in the UFC. Pedersoli Jr. (11-1) is coming off of a successful UFC debut where he defeated Brad Scott via decision. The Cage Warriors veteran has won eight straight fights overall including a split decision over Nicholas Dalby in Cage Warriors, the win that got him a UFC contract. I like this matchup and I think Pedersoli Jr. is a very talented fighter, but based on the fact Oliveira has had a full camp, the fight is in Brazil and he has more UFC experience I have to believe he will be favored to win this fight.
Randa Markos vs. Marina Rodriguez, UFC Fight Night 137
As well, a women’s strawweight bout between Randa Markos and UFC newcomer Marina Rodriguez has also been added to UFC Fight Night 137. Nolan King of FloCombat broke the news. Markos (8-6) is a disappointing 4-5 overall in the UFC and she just hasn’t been able to generate any sort of consistency in the UFC as she’s gone win-loss for her entire career. In her last fight just last month, she lost a decision to Nina Ansaroff. Rodriguez (11-0) is undefeated as a pro and is coming off of a TKO win over Maria Oliveira on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series to get her shot in the UFC. This should be a good fight and I like the matchmaking here, but it’s hard not to favor Rodriguez when Markos has been so inconsistent inside the UFC. We know at her best Markos can compete with the best strawweights in the Octagon but she’s rarely at her best and I just feel like fading Markos is the right call here, even against a UFC newcomer in Rodriguez.
Tony Ferguson vs. Anthony Pettis, UFC 229
The crown jewel of the new fight announcements is the lightweight bout at UFC 229 between Tony Ferguson and Anthony Pettis, which MMAjunkie.com reported. UFC 229 takes place Saturday, October 6 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ferguson (23-3) has not fought since last October when he tapped out Kevin Lee to win the interim lightweight crown. He was then stripped of the title after getting injured before UFC 223. Overall, he is 13-1 in the UFC and he’s currently on a 10-fight win streak. Pettis (21-7) is 8-6 overall in the UFC and has really struggled in recent years but he is coming off of a submission win over Michael Chiesa at UFC 226 which was his best performance in ages. Still, he’s coming back to face Ferguson and that’s just a tough matchup. I would favor Ferguson over almost any other lightweight in the world and Pettis is no different. Expect Ferguson to be a big favorite here.
