UFC Fight Night 151 takes place May 18 at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York, and the card recently had a number of bouts added to it. My initial thoughts on the new matchups are below.
Megan Anderson vs. Felicia Spencer, UFC Fight Night 151
An intriguing women’s featherweight bout between former Invicta champions Megan Anderson and Felicia Spencer is set to take place at UFC Fight Night 151, and the winner could very well be in line for a shot at Amanda Nunes’s 145lbs belt after she gets through her UFC 239 matchup against Holly Holm.
Anderson (9-3) lost a decision to Holm in her Octagon debut last year at UFC 225 but rebounded nicely with a first-round TKO win over Cat Zingano at UFC 232. With seven stoppage wins, Anderson is one of the most dangerous female featherweights out there. Spencer (6-0) won the Invicta title in her last bout, a submission win over Pam Sorensen. She’s finished four of her fights since making her MMA debut in 2015, and the Montreal native appears to be a great signing by the UFC as one of the few true female featherweights in the sport. Although Spencer shouldn’t be counted out of this fight, given Anderson’s previous UFC experience ad popularity, I’d expect her to be a sizeable favorite here.
Neil Magny vs. Vicente Luque, UFC Fight Night 151
Welterweight contenders Neil Magny and Vicente Luque are set to meet, according to a report from Farah Hannoun. Magny (21-7) is 14-6 in the UFC and is coming off of a brutal KO loss to Santiago Ponziibbio last November. Luque (15-6-1) is 8-2 in the UFC with all of his wins coming by stoppage, and he’s currently riding a four-fight win streak that includes a knockout win over Bryan Barberena in what is arguably so far the 2019 “Fight of the Year” in MMA. Magny has long been an underrated welterweight and has known to surprise from time to time, but given Luque’s win streak and his ridiculous finishing power, you have to favor him quite heavily to get the job done here.
Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Ian Heinisch, UFC Fight Night 151
Middleweights Antonio Carlos Junior and Ian Heinisch are set to lock horns after Heinisch’s fight against Tom Breese at UFC London fell through at the last minute due to a Breese medical issue. He’ll instead get the chance to fight a higher-ranked opponent in the form of Junior, the former TUF winner.
Junior (10-2, 1 NC) is 7-2, 1 NC in the UFC and is currently riding a five-fight win streak that includes a submission win over Tim Boetsch in his last outing, which is important to not took place last April. Heinisch (12-1) is one a four-fight win streak and defeated Cezar Ferreira by decision in his UFC debut. This is going to be a competitive fight, but given Junior’s Octagon experience and vaunted submission game, you have to slightly favor him to win this bout.
Davi Ramos vs. Austin Hubbard, UFC Fight Night 151
A lightweight bout between Davi Ramos and Austin Hubbard is set for this event. Ramos (9-2) is 3-1 in the UFC and has won his last three fights via rear-naked choke. Hubbard (10-2) was the LFA lightweight champ and is riding a three-fight win streak into this fight. Hubbard is an intriguing prospect but Ramos has proven he can finish opponents inside the Octagon, and he should be a solid favorite here.
Danny Roberts vs. Michel Pereira, UFC Fight Night 151
Welterweights Danny Roberts and Michel Pereira are set to fight. Roberts (16-4) is 5-3 in the UFC and he’s coming off of a controversial submission loss to Claudio Silva. Pereira (21-9, 2 NC) is making his UFC debut following a KO win in Road FC. With his UFC experience, expect Roberts to be the favorite.
Julio Arce vs. Julian Erosa, UFC Fight Night 151
And finally, a featherweight bout between Julio Arce and Julian Erosa is set, according to a report from Nolan King of FloCombat. Arce (15-3) is 2-1 in the UFC and recently had a seven-fight win streak snapped with a split decision loss to Sheymon Moraes his last time out. Erosa (22-7) is 0-3 in the UFC over two stints and is currently riding a two-fight losing skid. This looks like a good bounce-back fight for Arce, who I expect to be a sizeable favorite.
