One of the most feared featherweights in the UFC finally has a fight booked, and I’ll give my thoughts on that new matchup and several others in today’s MMA odds and ends.
Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Brandon Davis, UFC 228
After Yair Rodriguez pulled out with an injury, Zabit Magomedovsharipov will now face fellow featherweight Brandon Davis at UFC 228, which takes place Saturday, September 8 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Nolan King of FloCombat broke the news. Magomedsharipov (15-1) is a perfect 3-0 so far in the UFC and in his last fight he defeated Kyle Bochniak in a “Fight of the Year” contender. He is currently riding an 11-fight win streak and looks poised to be a future champion at 145lbs. Davis (9-4) is just 1-2 in the UFC and is coming off of a decision loss to Enrique Barzola. However, you have to give him credit for stepping up when no one else would. Having said that, this is just a terrible matchup for Davis and I expect him to get finished. Look for Magomedsharipov to be a huge favorite in this fight, possibly even -1000 by fight day.
Charles Oliveira vs. Christos Giagos, UFC Fight Night 137
A ligthweight bout between Charles Oliveira and Christos Giagos is being targeted for UFC Fight Night 137, which goes down Saturday, September 22 at Ginasio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Globo had the report first. Oliveira (23-8, 1 NC) is 11-8, 1 NC in the UFC and in his last bout he tapped out Clay Guida. Giagos (15-6) is coming off of a win in ACB and is 4-2 since being cut by the UFC back in 2015, when he went just 1-2. I don’t see his second stint in the UFC going any better for him as this is a bad matchup for Giagos and I see Oliveira getting another one of his submission wins.
Jared Gordon vs. Joaquim Silva, UFC on FOX 31
A lightweight bout between Jared Gordon and Joaquim Silva is the first addition to UFC on FOX 31, which takes place Saturday, December 15 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The UFC has made this fight official. Gordon (14-2) won his first two UFC bouts but was knocked out by Carlos Diego Ferreira in his last outing. Silva (10-1) is 3-1 in the UFC and lost a decision to Vinc Pichel in his last fight. This is a tough one as both fighters are on about the same level to me but I’d have to favor Silva who was undefeated before losing a really close decision in his last fight.
Erik Koch vs. Dwight Grant, UFC on FOX 31
The UFC also made official a ligthweight bout between Erik Koch and Dwight Grant for UFC on FOX 31. Koch (15-6) is 4-5 overall in the UFC and is coming off of back-to-back losses to Bobby Green and Clay Guida. Grant (8-1) just won via KO on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series and has won seven straight fights overall. I think you have to fade Koch against any good prospect and Grant is definitely a good one, so I think he should be favored to get the win here.
