A couple new bouts have been booked for upcoming UFC Fight Night cards. Below are the bouts, along with my initial thoughts on them.
Desmond Green vs. Charles Jourdain, UFC Fight Night 152
Desmond Green has gotten his wish. The lightweight will compete in his hometown of Rochester, New York when he meets newcomer Charles Jourdain at UFC Fight Night 152, taking place May 18 at Blue Cross Arena. RDS broke the news.
Green (22-8) is just 3-3 overall in the UFC but is coming off of arguably the biggest win of his career, a first-round TKO win over Ross Pearson that sent the British veteran packing into retirement. Green said he wanted to fight in Rochester so bad that he would fight for free, and he’ll get his wish, only he’ll get paid when he takes on Jourdain, who is making his UFC debut. Jourdain (9-1) was the lightweight champion in the TKO promotion in Quebec and is coming off of four straight finishes. Just 23 years old, “Air” Jourdain is one of the top prospects at 155lbs and this is a great signing for the UFC.
Having said that, Jourdain will be facing a tough opponent here in Green, who has proven he can grind his opponents out and also knock him out. I’d give the edge to green based on his UFC experience, though Jourdain could be a live dog.
Devin Clark vs. Darko Stosic, UFC Fight Night 153
After his light heavyweight matchup against Ivan Shtyrkov at last weekend’s UFC St. Petersburg event was scrapped last minute, Devin Clark has been quickly rebooked and he’ll fight top prospect Darko Stosic at UFC Fight Night 153, taking place June 1 at Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden. Clark himself broke the news via Instagram.
Clark (9-3) is 3-3 in the UFC and is coming off of a TKO loss to Aleksandar Rakic. Overall he’s been a disappointment in the UFC and it seems like the matchmakers are down on him. Stosic (13-3) is one of the top prospects at 205lbs and picked up a vicious TKO win over Jeremy Kimball in his UFC debut to up his win streak to nine straight fights.
It sure looks like the UFC is using Clark as a gatekeeper at this point of his career, and Stosic should be a hefty favorite to get the win in this fight.
Kevin Holland vs. Alessio Di Chirico, UFC Fight Night 154
Middleweights Kevin Holland and Alessio Di Chirico are set to clash at UFC Fight Night 154, which takes place June 22 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. Sherdog broke the news.
Holland (14-4) is 1-2 in the UFC after being signed following a successful stint on the Contender Series. After losing a decision to Thiago Santos in his UFC debut, he has picked up back-to-back wins over Gerald Meerschaert and John Phillips. Di Chirico (12-2) is 3-2 in the UFC and is coming off of back-to-back wins over Oluwale Bamgbose and Julian Marquez.
This should be a really competitive fight, and while I do expect Holland to be favored, Di Chirico is a solid fighter and shouldn’t be counted out of this one.
