The UFC has announced a number of fresh matchups over the course of this past week and Thursday was no different as four new fight books were revealed for upcoming fight cards. Roger Narvaez vs. Pat Cummins, UFC Fight Night 42 A light heavyweight bout between UFC newcomer Roger Narvaez and Pat Cummins is the latest addition to UFC Fight Night 42, which takes place June 7 in Albuquerque, N.M. Narvaez is filling in on short notice for an injured Francimar Barroso. I don’t think much of Cummins but Narvaez doesn’t seem like that intriguing of a prospect either. Both men have really padded records but at least Cummins has the experience of fighting a top light heavyweight in Daniel Cormier. I’m assuming this fight will have a close betting line, but with a slight lean towards Cummins, who is more well known Naoyuki Kotani vs. Norman Parke, UFC Fight Night 46 A lightweight bout between TUF Smashes winner Norman Parke and returning veteran Naoyuki Kotani will take place at UFC Fight Night 46 in Dublin, Ireland, on July 19. I’m surprised the UFC is bringing along Parke so slowly but Kotani is no slouch and he’s on a long win streak right now and will enter this fight with a ton of momentum. That being said, Parke is a lot younger and has a way bigger upside, plus he’ll be fighting in his backyard here, so for sure he has to be the favorite entering this fight. I’d peg Parke at -220 or so here, as I expect him to continue his winning ways. Gilbert Burns vs. Andreas Stahl, UFC on FOX 12 After an injury to Viscardi Andrade, Gilbet Burns has been tapped as his replacement and he will take on Andreas Stahl at UFC on FOX 12, which takes place July 26 at HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA. This is a battle between two prospects who are unproven at the highest level of the sport, and it’s a spot that has been common in the UFC in 2013. However, a lot of the times this kind of matchup has happened the underdog won, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if this was the case here. I expect Burns to be a slight favorite, but I wouldn’t be shocked at all if Stahl won this fight. So unless there’s some crazy plus money on either fighter, I can already sense this is a pass spot. Tim Means vs. Hernani Perpetuo, UFC on FOX 12 And finally, a welterweight bout pitting Tim Means and Hernani Perpetuo was also added to UFC on FOX 12. This is a very fun fight between two fighters who are in desperate need of a W to keep their spot on the UFC roster, and I’m definitely looking forward to it. Although Perpetuo did better than expected against Jordan Mein and although Means did worse than expected against Neil Magny in each fighters’ respective last outing, I still like Means in this fight and think he wins it by knockout or decision. As for the line, I’m guessing Means is about -250 or so in this spot.
