The UFC last night announced that TJ Grant’s concussion will keep him from a title shot against Anthony Pettis at UFC on FOX 9 this December and instead it will be Josh Thomson who gets the next crack at the UFC lightweight title. I believe that Thomson is the next best option after Grant and he should make for a capable opponent for Pettis, but that being said, I really think that “Showtime” wins this fight. I believe that Pettis should be around -250 in this fight with the comeback on Thomson around +200. It’s possible the public bets up Pettis since they have never respected Thomson, and “The Punk” is definitely a live dog in this fight if he can use his wrestling to take Pettis down and smother him. But if the fight takes place on the feet — and I think it will — then there’s no doubt in my mind that Pettis will be adding to his highlight reel. Antonio Braga Neto vs. Derek Brunson, UFC Fight Night 31 A middleweight bout between Antonio Braga Neto and Derek Brunson is the latest addition to UFC Fight Night 31: Fight For The Troops 3. I’m not a fan of Brunson’s style but I admit his lay-and-pray approach makes for an interesting style matchup against Neto, who is a submission specialist. I think this is a close fight and I’m guessing it will be about a Pick ’em when the line comes out. But I know one thing — I’m passing on this one unless I can get either guy at good plus money. Ed Herman vs. Rafael Natal, UFC 167 One of two fights added to UFC 167 is a middleweight bout between Ed Herman and Rafael Natal, a bout which could win “Fight of the Night” at the stacked UFC 167 event. This is a very close fight but I do slightly favor Herman and my initial thoughts are that he should be about -140 in this fight to +110 for Natal, but if Natal fights smart and uses his takedowns, he could definitely steal a decision and this fight does seem like the kind of match I typically stay away from laying a wager on. Edwin Figueroa vs. Erik Perez, UFC 167 The other new fight added to UFC 167 is a bantamweight bout between Edwin Figueroa and Erik Perez. I strongly lean Perez in this fight and if the public is down on him after his split decision loss to Takeya Mizugaki, and we can get him at anything under -250, then I will for sure be placing a wager on the young Mexican. Dylan Andrews vs. Clint Hester, UFC Fight Night 33 And the last new matchup announced yesterday is a middleweight bout between Dylan Andrews and Clint Hester, which will take place this December at UFC Fight Night 33 in Australia. There is some hype around Hester for some reason but I really think this is Andrews’ fight to lose and my initial thoughts are that he should open around 2-to-1, if not more. That being said, Andrews looked awful against Papy Abedi until a late TKO, so if this guy wants to move up the ladder he will need a much better performance against Hester.
