As per usual, a number of new UFC matchups were announced over the weekend, and for today’s Odds and Ends I’ll give my initial thoughts on all the upcoming bouts. John Moraga vs. Darren Uyenoyama, UFC on FOX 9 The UFC felt like making the upcoming UFC on FOX 9 card more stacked, so they booked a flyweight bout between John Moraga and Darren Uyenoyama for it. This is a great matchup and I think these two are going to put on a show for the fans. The thing is, while Uyenoyama is tough as nails and very underrated, Moraga is just better than him in every area of the game aside from submissions and even though he looked bad against Demetrious Johnson at UFC on FOX 8, I still believe in him. My initial thoughts are that Moraga opens up around -300 or so, with the comeback on Uyenoyama at around +220, but we’ll see. Maximo Blanco vs. Akira Corassani, TUF 18 Finale The TUF 18 Finale continued to beef up with the addition of a featherweight bout between Maximo Blanco and Akira Corassani. This is a very good matchup and I’m quite looking forward to seeing what happens between these two in late November, as I believe their styles will lead to an exciting fight. I would assume Blanco opens as a -200 or so favorite here but after Corassani surprised us all against Robbie Peralta, he’s not to be looked over in this spot. Johnny Eduardo vs. Lucas Martins, UFC Fight Night 32 A bantamweight bout between vet Johnny Eduardo and up-and-comer Lucas Martins was added to UFC Fight Night 32. I have a lot of respect for Eduardo and what he’s accomplished in the sport but this sure seems like a tough fight for him after missing the last year-plus with injuries and seeing what Martins can do in the striking department. Look for Martins — always a favorite of the bettors — to open at -300 or so in the fight and for the public to parlay the heck out of him. Justin Salas vs. Thiago Tavares, UFC Fight Night 32 After an injury to Quinn Mulhern, the UFC booked a lightweight bout between Mulhern’s original opponent Thiago Tavares and replacement Justin Salas for UFC Fight Night 32. Both Salas and Tavares are on the bubble right now so I wouldn’t be surprised if the loser of this fight got the boot. I’m expecting Tavares to open up as a slight favorite here of about -175 or so to a small comeback of +135 or thereabouts on Salas, but the public may bet this fight down to a Pick ’em. Nam Phan vs. Takeya Mizugaki, UFC Fight Night 33 And finally, the UFC booked a weird bantamweight matchup between Nam Phan and Takeya Mizugaki for UFC Fight Night 33. Phan was 2-4 as a UFC featherweight and yet for some reason the UFC has almost rewarded him for being a low-end ’45er as they have booked him against Mizugaki, who is 5-2 in the UFC, for his bantamweight debut. This should be a fun fight but it doesn’t make much sense for Mizugaki. As far as the line goes, I’m guessing Mizugaki opens at -250 but after defeating Erik Perez the public may push that number even higher against Phan, who hasn’t fought in almost a year.
