The UFC continued announcing new bouts on Thursday, and for today’s MMA Odds and Ends I’ll give my thoughts on the new bouts. Bryan Barberena vs. Joe Ellenberger, UFC Fight Night 44 After a slew of opponents pulled out of bouts against Joe Ellenberger, Jake’s brother finally has an opponent for UFC Fight Night 44 as newcomer Bryan Barberena has been signed to the Octagon and will take on Ellenberger June 28 at AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. The bout will be a main card fight. Although Ellenberger hasn’t fought in a year and a half, he is still considered one of the better prospects at 155lbs in the UFC and has some hype heading into his UFC debut. As for Barberena, he’s a complete unknown but he’s one of the up-and-coming fighters from The MMA Lab and he could certainly surprise and turn some heads in his UFC debut. Currently riding a six-fight win streak, Barberena could be someone to look out for in the near future. As for the betting odds, look for Ellenberger to be the favorite in this fight, but it’s difficult to peg just how much he’ll be based on the strange circumstances surrounding this short-notice bout. George Roop vs. Rob Font, UFC 175 A bantamweight contest between veteran George Roop and UFC newcomer Rob Font has been added to UFC 175, which takes place July 5 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The bout is expected to be a part of the event’s preliminary card. Roops is coming off a decision win over Dustin Kimura and overall is 3-1 since dropping down to 135lbs with wins over Brian Bowles, Rueben Duran and Kimura and the only loss coming to Francisco Rivera. He’s one of the most underrated bantamweights in the Octagon and will present a very difficult challenge for Font in his UFC debut. As for Font, he’s a complete unknown to most UFC fans but he has won nine-straight fights on the regional circuit to earn his spot in the Octagon. He seems like a finisher judging from his record and should make a fine addition to the UFC bantamweight division, but the UFC is giving him a tough first fight here against Roop and Font will more than likely enter the bout as the underdog. As for the betting line, I’m expecting Roop to finally get some love from the betting public as I see him being a 2-to-1 favorite in this fight and possibly even a bit higher.
