The UFC continued to announce new fights for upcoming cards in 2014, and for today’s Odds and Ends I’ve corralled all of these new bout announcements together and will give my initial thoughts on all of them. Jessica Rakoczy vs. Julianna Pena, TUF 18 Finale The final of TUF 18 will feature Jessica Rakoczy vs. Julianna Pena. It’s a classic striker vs. grappler matchup, and this time around, I definitely favor the grappler. I will refrain from guessing the line since the official odds will likely come out for this fight shorty, but I’m guessing Pena will be the favorite. Roxanne Modafferi vs. Raquel Pennington, TUF 18 Finale In a women’s bantamweight bout also added to the TUF 18 Finale, Roxanne Modafferi takes on Raquel Pennington. I heavily favor Pennington in this bout and believe she should be a heavy favorite here, considering how poor Modafferi has looked the last few years. Ilir Latifi vs. Cyrille Diabate, UFC London 2014 In a light heavyweight matchup, Ilir Latifi takes on Cyrille Diabate at UFC London 2014 next March. This is a fight between two of the bottom feeders in the 205-pound division, and the loser likely gets cut. The fight should be close to a Pick ’em with a lean to Diabate, but I’m really thinking there may be a bet to make on Latifi here. I’ll have to look into it more, but if I can get him at decent dog money, I’ll probably have to take a shot. Hugo Viana vs. Ramiro Hernandez, UFC on FOX 10 In a bantamweight bout tat UFC on FOX 10, Hugo Viana takes on Ramiro Hernandez in a fun fight that likely won’t make it three full rounds. It’s a good fight, but I’d lean Viana here for the win based on his power. I’d need to watch more tape on Hernandez to make an accurate line, but I expect Viana to be around -200 here. Andy Ogle vs. Charles Oliveira, UFC Fight Night 36 In a featherweight fight between two fighters in desperate need of a win, England’s Andy Ogle takes on Charles Oliveira at UFC Fight Night 36 in Brazil. I think this is a terrible matchup for Ogle, and I expect Oliveira to roll here unless his chin is worse than we all think he is. Look for Oliveira to be around a -500 fav in this matchup. Jesse Ronson vs. Francisco Trinaldo, UFC Fight Night 36 And finally, the UFC added a lightweight fight between Jesse Ronson and Francisco Trinaldo to UFC Fight Night 36. The fight is a matchup between two strikers and it should be a fun one. While I’d give Trinaldo the overall edge in power and aggression, Ronson is likely more technical and he has a better gastank. So it will be interesting to see what happens if this goes late. Having said that, I like Trinaldo here and my initial thoughts are that he should be at least a -220 favorite here.
