The UFC has added a pair of high-profile matchups to the upcoming UFC Fight Night 29 card: a welterweight bout between Demian Maia and Jake Shields and a bantamweight bout between TJ Dillashaw and Raphael Assuncao. The Maia/Shields fight was confirmed by MMAFighting.com, while Dillashaw/Assuncao was confirmed by Ivan Raupp of Globo. The Maia vs. Shields fight pits two of the best BJJ practitioners in the UFC and it’s a fight that many fans have been asking for for a long time. With Maia’s improvements, I would definitely have to open him as a favorite here, perhaps in the -200 range, but I really do believe that Shields is always undervalued and with the way he matches up with Maia, he could definitely steal a win here in Maia’s home country. Either way, look for the winner of Maia and Shields to move into title contention at 170 pounds, especially if it’s Maia, who might be able to earn a title shot with a stoppage win. As for the Dillashaw vs. Assuncao bout, this another intriguing matchup between two of the best bantamweights in the world and the winner will likely jump into the top five of the division’s ranks. I think this is a very even match between two well-rounded 135ers but I do lean a bit towards Dillashaw due to the wrestling edge, although I don’t think I could play him at anything over -175 or so as Assuncao is a very talented fighter and has the home field advantage. Houston Out, Romero Scratched At UFC Fight Night 29 UFC newcomer Brian Houston has been forced to pull out of his upcoming debut fight against Yoel Romero at UFC 164, and the UFC has decided to scratch Romero from the event entirely. The news was reported on UFC Tonight. This is disappointing news because I, as well as many others, were looking forward to seeing Romero’s next fight in the UFC after he debuted with a flying knee KO over Clifford Starks at UFC on FOX 7. But after both Houston and Romero’s original opponent Derek Brunson pulled out of the match the UFC has just decided to pull the Cuban off the card and it’ll likely be a few months until we see him in action again.
