A couple new bouts were announced for upcoming fight cards including the debut of Antonna Shevchenko, and here are the new fights along with my thoughts on them.
CB Dollaway vs. Artem Frolov, UFC Fight Night 136
An injury to Omari Akhmedov has led to a replacement opponent for CB Dollaway as the veteran will now meet UFC newcomer Artem Frolov at UFC Fight Night 136, which is set for Saturday, September 15 at Olympic Stadium in Moscow, Russia. Dollaway (17-8) is 11-8 overall in the UFC and is currently on a two-fight win streak with a DQ victory over Hector Lombard his last time out. Frolov (11-0) is undefeated and coming off of a TKO win over Joe Riggs in M-1 Challenge. Although Dollaway is an underrated fighter I have to believe this a bad matchup for him against the younger, fresher Frolov, who I believe has a good chance to finish this fight.
Ramazan Emeev vs. Stefan Sekulic, UFC Fight Night 136
An injury to Ramazan Emeev’s original opponent Claudio Silva has pushed Stefan Sekulic into a big fight in his short-notice UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 136. Emeev (17-3) is 2-0 in the UFC and beat Alberto Mina by decision in his last fight and Sam Alvey in his debut. Sekulic (12-2) is making his own UFC debut off of two wins over nobodies in Serbia. This is a mismatch and I believe Emeev is going to be a monster betting favorite.
Alex Garcia vs. Court McGee, UFC Fight Night 138
A welterweight bout between Alex Garcia and Court McGee will take place at UFC Fight Night 138, which is set for Saturday, October 27 at Moncton Events Centre in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. Garcia (15-5) is 5-4 in the UFC and is coming off a decision loss to Ryan LaFlare. McGee (18-7) is 7-6 in the UFC but has lost two straight fights. Garcia is the better fighter and as long as his gas tank holds up he should get the win in this one.
Ashlee Evans-Smith vs. Antonina Shevchenko, TUF 28 Finale
A women’s flyweight matchup featuring Ashlee Evans-Smith and Antonina Shevchenko will be featured at the TUF 28 Finale, taking place Friday, November 30 at Pearl Theatre at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ariel Helwani broke the news. Evans-Smith (6-3) is 3-3 in the UFC and is coming off of a decision win over Bec Rawlings. Shevchenko (6-0) is making her UFC debut fresh off of a win on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. Despite Evans-Smith having more UFC experience, I have to favor Shevchenko to win this bout.
Claudia Gadelha vs. Nina Ansaroff, UFC 231
A women’s strawweight bout between Claudia Gadelha and Nina Ansraoff will take place at UFC 231, which goes down Saturday, December 8 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Gadelha (16-3) is just 5-3 in the UFC but she has fought the best of the best at 115lbs. In her last fight, she defeaed Carla Esparza by decision. Ansaroff (9-5) is 3-2 in the UFC and has won three straight fights to get this matchup against the top-ranked Gadelha. Despite Ansaroff’s win streak, I still have to heavily favor Gadelha in this fight.
