A few new minor UFC bouts have been announced for upcoming cards, and I’ll give my thoughts on them in today’s MMA odds and ends. All of the following bouts have been confirmed by the UFC.
Jesus Pinedo vs. Devin Powell, UFC Fight Night 140
Lightweights Jesus Pinedo and Devin Powell will meet at UFC Fight Night 140, which is set for Saturday, November 17 at Estadio Mary Teran de Weiss in Beunos Aries, Argentina. Pinedo (15-4-1) is making his UFC debut on short notice filling in for the injured Claudio Puelles. He’s won six straight fights before getting called up. Powell (9-3) is just 1-2 in the UFC and while he won his last fight by knockout overall he hasn’t been very impressive. Even though he’s making his UFC debut I would have to favor Pinedo to get the win.
Song Yadong vs. Frankie Saenz, UFC Fight Night 141
Bantamweights Song Yadong and Frankie Saenz will face off at UFC Fight Night 141, which takes place Sunday, November 25 at Cadillac Arena in Beijing, China. Yadong (13-3-2) is 2-0 in the UFC and at age 20 he looks like he’ll be a contender for some time to come. Saenz (13-5) is 5-3 in the UFC and has proven himself to be a tough gatekeeper at 135lbs, but at age 38 there’s not much upside here. It seems obvious the UFC wants to get Yadong a quality win over a respected veteran, and I’d favor him quite heavily to win this fight..
Yushin Okami vs. Alexey Kunchenko, UFC Fight Night 142
Welterweights Yushin Okami and Alexey Kunchenko will fight at UFC Fight Night 140, which is set for Sunday, December 2 at Adelaide Events Center in Adelaide, Australia. Okami (35-11) is 1-1 since returning to the UFC, first losing to Ovince Saint-Preux at light heavyweight before defeating Dhiego Lima at welterweight. Kunchenko (19-0) is undefeated in his career and beat Thiago Alves in his UFC debut. No doubt about it, Kunchenko is going to be a massive favorite and for good reason as Okami needs to be faded here.
Juan Adams vs. Chris De La Rocha, UFC on FOX 31
A heavyweight fight pitting Juan Adams against Chris De La Rocha has been added to UFC on FOX 31, which takes place Saturday, December 15 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Adams (4-0) is coming off of a huge knockout win on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series and all of his pro wins have come by TKO. De La Rocha (5-2) is just 1-2 in the UFC and at 39 is being fed to the wolves here against a young, hungry monster in Adams. I’d peg Adams as a big favorite in this fight.
Adam Milstead vs. Mike Rodriguez, UFC on FOX 31
Also added to UFC on FOX 31 is a light heavyweight bout between Adam Milstead and Mike Rodriguez. Milstead (8-2, 1 NC) is 1-1, 1 NC in the UFC and dropped a split decision to Jordan Johnson in his light heavyweight debut. Rodriguez (9-3) dropped a decision to Devin Clark in his UFC debut but had won four straight fights before that. Tough fight to call here but I’d slightly lean towards the more active Rodriguez.
