The Octagon is headed back to Atlanta, Georgia for UFC 236. The card takes place April 13 at State Farm Arena, and some of the newest bouts added to the card are listed below.
Alan Jouban vs. Dwight Grant, UFC 236
Welterweights Alan Jouban and Dwight Grant will meet at UFC 236. Zack Klein of ABC broke the news. Jouban (16-6) is 7-4 in the UFC and most recently defeated Ben Saunders via KO in a 2018 “Fight of the Year” candidate. Grant (9-2) showed some Octagon jitters in his UFC debut when he dropped a split decision to Zak Ottow, but he bounced back nicely with a TKO win over Carlo Pedersoli Jr. in his last fight. Jouban has more experience and on paper is the better fighter, but he’s also 37 and hasn’t fought in over a year. This might be the right time to fade him and go with Grant, who I’m expecting to be the underdog in this one.
Jalin Turner vs. Matt Frevola, UFC 236
A lightweight matchup between Jalin Turner and Matt Frevola is also set for UFC 236. Turner (8-4) was brutally knocked out by Vicente Luque in his UFC debut but bounced back nicely with a TKO win over Callan Potter his last time out. Just 23, he looks like a very solid prospect at 155lbs. Frevola (6-1-1) was knocked out by Marco Polo Reyes in his UFC debut and then fought to an exciting draw opposite Lando Vannata his last time out. Frevola is a lot better of a fighter than most give him credit for, but given how impressive Turner looked in his UFC sophomore effort, you have to go with him to win this fight as a big favorite.
Max Griffin vs. Zelim Imadaev, UFC 236
Taking place at UFC 236 is a welterweight bout between Max Griffin and Zelim Imadaev. ESPN broke the news. Griffin (14-6) has a mediocre record of 2-4 in the Octagon, but most believed he should have got a split decision nod over Thiago Alves in his last fight. His record is deceiving as he’s fought some really tough competition in his losses, including former interim champ Colby Covington. Imadaev (8-0) has knocked out all of his opponents to date on the Russian regional circuit but none of them were notable fighters. Griffin is the biggest fight of Imadaev’s career to date, and while Griffin is a solid fighter, Imadaev is a tremendous prospect with a shiny record and will likely be favored here.
Curtis Millender vs. Belal Muhammad, UFC 236
Just a week after being submitted by Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, Curtis Millender has signed a contract to fight fellow welterweight Belal Muhammad at UFC 236. Farah Hannoun broke the news. Millender (17-4) saw a nine-fight win streak snapped by his submission loss to dos Santos but prior to that had won his first three fights in the Octagon. Muhammad (14-3) is 5-3 in the UFC and most recently saw his four-fight win streak snapped by a decision loss to Geoff Neal. Great fight here between two durable fighters willing to stand and trade for the fans, but despite Millender’s recent quick loss I would still favor him to win this bout as he’s the more dynamic fighter and more powerful striker.
