A number of new UFC bouts have been revealed for upcoming fight cards, and I’ll give my thoughts on all of them in today’s MMA odds and ends.
Chase Sherman vs. Augusto Sakai, UFC Fight Night 137
A heavyweight bout between Chase Sherman and Augusto Sakai is set for UFC Fight Night 137, which takes place Sat. September 22 at Ginasio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The bout was reported by Nolan King of FloCombat. Sherman (11-5) is just 2-4 in the UFC and is coming off of back-to-back losses to Justin Willis and Shamil Abdurakhimov. Sakai (11-1-1) is coming off of a TKO win on the first episode of Dana White’s Contender Series Brazil and his only career loss came against Cheick Kongo in Bellator. This looks like a very winnable fight for Sakai and he should be a heavy favorite to get the win.
Aspen Ladd vs. Tonya Evinger, UFC 229
Women’s bantamweights Aspen Ladd and Tonya Evinger will meet at UFC 229, which takes place Sat. October 6 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. MMAjunkie had the news. Ladd (6-0) is undefeated and in her UFC debut last year she finished Lina Lansberg via TKO. Evinger (19-6, 1 NC) had her long win streak snapped via TKO to Cris Cyborg in her UFC debut last summer. Both women are talented fighters but based on Ladd’s youth and undefeated mentality I may have to favor her slightly here.
Khalil Rountree vs. Johnny Walker, UFC Fight Night 140
A light heavyweight bout between Khalil Rountree and Johnny Walker is set for UFC Fight Night 140, which takes place Sat. November 17 at Estadio Luna Park in Beunos Aries, Argentina. Rountree (7-2, 1 NC) is 3-2, 1 NC in the UFC and is undefeated over his last four fights with a brutal KO win over Gokhan Saki in his last bout. Walker (14-3) is coming off of a win on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series and overall has won six straight fights. I’m still very surprised the UFC would book this matchup considering Rountree just got a huge win on PPV and Walker is a complete unknown. I’d peg Rountree as a big favorite in this fight although Walker shouldn’t be completely counted out of it.
Maryna Moroz vs. Veronica Macedo, UFC Fight Night 140
As well, women’s flyweights Maryna Moroz and Veronica Macedo will also meet at UFC Fight Night 140. Moroz (8-3) is 3-3 in the UFC but has lost two straight fights. Macedo (5-2-1) is 0-2 in the UFC and needs a win to stay on the roster. Both women have been scuffling badly as of late but Moroz has more experience in the UFC and she should be favored to win this bout.
Ilir Latifi vs. Corey Anderson, UFC 232
Light heavyweights Ilir Latifi and Corey Anderson will fight at UFC 232, which is set for Sat. December 29 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Kimura.se had the news. Latifi (14-5, 1 NC) is 7-3 in the UFC and is coming off of back-to-back wins over Ovince Saint-Preux and Tyson Pedro. Anderson (11-4) is 8-4 in the UFC and coming off of back-to-back wins over Glover Teixeira and Pat Cummins. Very tough fight to call here but I would slightly lean towards Anderson based on his youth and speed advantage.
Jessica Eye vs. Sijara Eubanks, UFC 232
Finally, women’s flyweights Jessica Eye and Sijara Eubanks will meet at UFC 232. Ariel Helwani of ESPN broke the news. Eye (13-6, 1 NC) is 3-5, 1 NC in the UFC but she is a perfect 2-0 since moving down to flyweight. Eubanks (3-2) defeated Lauren Murphy in her UFC debut. Both women are pretty solid fighters but based on how she’s looked lately I’d favor Eubanks slightly here.
