The first couple bouts have been revealed for the UFC’s upcoming cards in Rochester and Greensboro, and I’ll give my initial takes on those matchups below.
Aspen Ladd vs. Sijara Eubanks, UFC Fight Night 151
Moving up from the women’s flyweight division is Sijara Eubanks, and she’ll fight Aspen Ladd at UFC Fight Night 151, taking place May 18 at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York. MMAjunkie broke the news. Ladd (7-0) is undefeated in her career and is 2-0 in the UFC with a vicious TKO win over Tonya Evinger in her last outing. Eubanks (4-2) is 2-0 in the UFC and beat Roxanne Modafferi by decision in her last fight. This is actually a rematch of the pair’s previous bout in Invicta, which Ladd won by decision. I’m expecting another competitive fight this second time around, but once again I would have to favor Ladd to win the fight.
Trevin Giles vs. Zak Cummings, UFC Fight Night 151
Also added to UFC Fight Night 151 is a middleweight bout between Trevin Giles and Zak Cummings. Giles (11-0) is 2-0 in the UFC but hasn’t fought since a KO win over Antonio Braga Neto in December 2017. Cummings (22-6) is 7-3 in the UFC and is coming off of a split decision win over Trevor Smith. Cummings is just a gatekeeper at this point of his career while Giles is a top prospect at 185lbs, and he’ll likely be a huge favorite here despite his long layoff.
Mike Trizano vs. Grant Dawson, UFC Fight Night 151
Featherweight prospects Mike Trizano and Grant Dawson will meet at UFC Fight Night 151. The Democrat and Chronicle broke the news. Trizano (8-0) won TUF 27 and is so far 2-0 in the UFC including an upset win over Luis Pena his last time out. Dawson (13-1) won a decision over Julian Erosa in his UFC debut and is riding a four-fight win streak at the moment. Both guys are solid prospects but Dawson seems to get more respect at the window and I expect him to be favored at open.
Pat Cummins vs. Ed Herman, UFC Fight Night 151
Light heavyweights Pat Cummins and Ed Herman are set to meet at UFC Fight Night 151. Cummins (10-6) is 6-6 in the UFC and is coming off of two straight losses to Misha Cirkunov and Corey Anderson. Herman (23-14, 1 NC) is one of the longest tenured UFC fighters and has an all-time record of 10-11, 1 NC overall in the Octagon. However, he’s fallen on hard times as of late with a three-fight losing skid including losses to Gian Villante, CB Dollaway and Nikita Krylov. At this point you have to fade Herman against anyone, and Cummins should be a small favorite here.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Allen Crowder, UFC Fight Night 153
Heavyweights Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Allen Crowder are set to meet at UFC Fight Night 153, taking place June 22 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. Crowder’s team announced the bout. Rozenstruik (7-0) picked up a great knockout win over Junior Albini in his UFC debut. Crowder (10-3, 1 NC) is 1-1 in the UFC and is coming off of a DQ win over Greg Hardy. This looks like the UFC punishing Crowder for whatever reason as I fully expect Rozenstruik to get a knockout win.
