A number of new UFC bouts were booked yesterday and for today’s MMA Odds and Ends I’ll give my thoughts on all of them. Ilir Latifi vs. Chris Dempsey, UFC Fight Night 46 Due to an injury to Tom Lawlor, Chris Dempsey has been called upon to make his UFC debut and he will do so against Ilir Latifi at UFC Fight Night 46, which takes place July 19 at O2 Arena in Dublin, Ireland. Like most, I don’t know much about Dempsey, but Latifi is a very underrated light heavyweight and he should be favored going into this bout, probably around 2-to-1 or so. Lauren Murphy vs. Sara McMann, UFC Fight Night 47 A women’s bantamweight bout between Sara McMann and former Invicta FC women’s bantamweight champion Lauren Murphy has been added to UFC Fight Night 47, which takes place August 16 at Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine. Although Murphy is likely unknown to many UFC fans, she is one of the better women bantamweights in the world and deserves a chance to break into the top 10, which she will do with a win over McMann. Having said that, McMann is a stud and should be able to dictate where this fight takes place, so she should be the favorite heading into this one. It’s not a blowout, but I think McMann should be around 3-to-1 in this fight based on the amount of respect she has gotten from the betting public in the past. Jordan Mein vs. Brandon Thatch, UFC Fight Night 49 Due to an injury to Thiago Alves, Jordan Mein will now face Brandon Thatch at UFC Fight Night 49, which takes place August 23 at BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This should be a very violent encounter between two young welterweight beasts but Thatch no doubt should be the favorite in this one. Yes, he is coming off a long injury layoff, but before the layoff he was laying wreck to anyone in his path and while Mein is a solid fighter, he’s not elite by any means. Look for Thatch to be around -250 or possibly even -300 for this one. Demian Maia vs. Mike Pyle, UFC Fight Night 49 A welterweight bout between Demian Maia and Mike Pyle was also added to UFC Fight Night 49. This battle of top-15 ranked welterweights should be a very fun one, and the winner will earn a date with a top-10 opponent in their next outing. Although Pyle cannot be counted out, it makes sense for Maia to be the favorite here and I expect him to be at least -200 for this fight and maybe even a bit higher as he should have a big edge with his wrestling and should be able to dictate where the fight takes place. But if it does stay standing, of course Pyle has a chance at pulling off the upset. Francis Carmont vs. Thales Leites, UFC Fight Night 49 As well, a middleweight bout between Francis Carmont and Thales Leites was added to UFC Fight Night 49. It’s a solid fight at 185 between two fighters literally fighting for their spot in the top 15 and it could play out more exciting than people expect if it stays standing. Leites has looked great since returning to the UFC but Carmont is a tough out for anyone at 185lbs. It’s a close fight on paper but based on the level of competition as of late I see Carmont being a slight favorite of around -140 in this spot, although I do think Leites has a good chance to pull off the upset. Myles Jury vs. Takanori Gomi, UFC Fight Night 52 And finally, a lightweight bout between Myles Jury and Takanori Gomi has been added to UFC Fight Night 52, which takes place September 20 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. This is a solid fight on paper but it doesn’t make sense as far as the rankings go. Jury, who is undefeated in the UFC, should have got a top-1o opponent, not Gomi, who is essentially a gatekeeper. As for Gomi, a win over Jury would jump him into the top 15 of the division, but stylistically it’s a bad matchup for him and this won’t be an easy fight for him to win. Look for Jury to be the favorite here of around -250 and possibly a bit higher.
