Several new UFC bouts were announced, and below are my initial thoughts on them in today’s MMA odds and ends.
Luana Carolina vs. Priscila Cachoeira, UFC 237
A women’s flyweight bout between Luana Carolina and Priscila Cachoeira is set for UFC 237, taking place May 11 at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Cachoeira is filling in on short notice for the injured Yanan Wu. Combate broke the news. Carolina (5-1) is riding a five-fight win streak since losing her MMA debut, including a victory on the Brazilian Contender Series last summer. Cachoeira (8-2) has lost both of her UFC bouts to Valentina Shevchenko and Molly McCann. At this point, bettors will be looking to fade Cachoeira due to all the damage she has been taking in her fights, and I’d expect Carolina to be the favorite here despite having no experience inside the Octagon.
Eddie Wineland vs. Grigory Popov, UFC 238
An exciting bantamweight bout between Eddie Wineland and Grigory Popov has been added to UFC 238, taking place June 8 at United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The Fight Nation broke the news. Wineland (23-13-1) is 5-7 overall in the UFC and is coming off of consecutive decision losses to Alejandro Perez and John Dodson. He typically only fights once a year now, and hasn’t won a fight since a TKO win over Takeya Mizugaki in 2016. Popov (13-1) is riding a nine-fight win streak on the Asian regional scene into his UFC debut, though he hasn’t fought anyone of note. Something interesting to keep in mind is that we has won two fights via the rarely-seen gogoplata submission. Still, I expect most bettors to look to fade Wineland here, and Popov will most likely be favored despite his lack of UFC experience.
Markus Perez vs. Deron Winn, UFC Fight Night 154
An intriguing middleweight bout between Markus Perez and Deron Winn is set for UFC Fight Night 154, taking place June 22 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. Combate broke the news. Perez (11-2) is 2-2 in the UFC and is coming off of a submission win over Anthony Hernandez. Winn (5-0) is coming off of a decision win over Tom Lawlor at Golden Boy MMA 1 and was considered a top prospect at 205lbs, though he’ll be dropping down in weight for this fight. Although Perez has looked really good in his victories, he’s a bit too inconsistent for my liking and as a top prospect I expect Winn to be the favorite.
Molly McCann vs. Ariane Lipski, UFC Fight Night 154
Also added to UFC Fight Night 154 is a women’s flyweight bout between Molly McCann and Ariane Lipski. ESPN had the news. McCann (8-2) is 1-1 in the UFC and is coming off of a decision win over the aforementioned Cachoeira. Lipski (11-4) was a champion in KSW and had a long win streak before arriving in the UFC, but it was snapped by a decision loss to Joanne Calderwood. The Calderwood fight proved to be a difficult style matchup for Lipski, but this fight against McCann should be more in her wheelhouse, and I expect her to get her hand raised.
