The UFC announced a number of new matches for upcoming fight cards over the last few days, and for today’s MMA Odds and Ends I’ll give my quick thoughts on all of them. Thiago Alves vs. Seth Baczynski, UFC on FOX 11 He’s back: welterweight stud Thiago Alves returns to the Octagon this April in Orlando, Florida, when he takes on Seth Baczynski in what should be a fun fight. It will be good to see Alves back in the Octagon after he missed the last two years due to injuries, and the UFC is giving him a favorable stylistic matchup here against Baczynski. Look for Alves to enter the bout as a -250 favorite despite the time off, and look for him to prove he still has what it takes to be the UFC welterweight champion with a big win. Jordan Mein vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio, UFC on FOX 11 Next up is a welterweight bout between Jordan Mein and Santiago Ponzinibbio. It’s Mein’s first fight in a year since a devastating loss to Matt Brown, while Ponzinibbio looks to rebound from a loss to Ryan LaFlare in his UFC debut last fall. This should be an exciting fight but I definitely like Mein to pick up the win here. I’d set him at about -220 for this bout, and it wouldn’t surprise me if that line got bet up somewhat as this is a guy who does get respect from the betting public despite his MMA record containing numerous losses. Josh Samman vs. Caio Magalhaes, UFC on FOX 11 As well, a middleweight bout between Josh Samman and Caio Magalhaes has been added to UFC on FOX 11. Samman hasn’t fought in a year due to injuries and due to needing time to grieve after the tragic death of his girlfriend. However, he is an excellent middleweight prospect and if he is mentally and physically ready to fight again, he should be able to take out Magalhaes with ease. Although Magalhaes has improved somewhat, he’s still a bottom feeder in the UFC middleweight division and I’d set Samman as at least a -200 favorite here and maybe even higher. Noad Lahat vs. Godofredo Pepey, UFC Fight Night 38 The UFC signed its first fighter from Israel, Noad Lahat, and he’ll take on Godofredo Pepey at UFC Fight Night 38 this March in Brazil. I’m surprised that Pepey is getting another fight in the Octagon, but it seems like the UFC just wants to test the undefeated Lahat against someone on the roster. I don’t know much about Lahat, but I do know that Pepey is one of the weakest featherweights on the entire UFC roster and I would expect the UFC newcomer to open as a slight favorite. Jared Rosholt vs. Daniel Omielanczuk, UFC Fight Night 39 And finally, a heavyweight bout between Jared Rosholt and Daniel Omielanczuk has been added to UFC Fight Night 39. It’s a fight between two UFC heavyweights with one win each, and the winner isn’t likely to advance very high up the 265-pound ladder. I don’t even know if this is going to be an exciting fight, and to be honest I wouldn’t be surprised if this turned into a grinding affair that bores the crowd. Not a great fight, but there weren’t many other options for either fighter.
