Nate Diaz is back. The TUF 5 winner and top-ranked lightweight will return from his year-long exile this winter when he takes on Rafael dos Anjos in the co-main event of UFC on FOX 13, which takes place December 13 at U.S. Airways Center in in Phoenix, Arizona. Diaz hasn’t fought since knocking out Gray Maynard at the TUF 18 Finale last December, so he’ll be coming into this matchup against RDA off of a one-year layoff, which could potentially be a problem if he shows signs of ring rust in the bout. As for RDA, in the same time period that Diaz hasn’t fought, RDA has four three times, losing a decision to Khabib Nurmagomedov but picking up knockout wins over Benson Henderson and Jason High. RDA is one of the hottest fighters in the division at the moment and at the peak of his career, his momentum will be hard to stop. This is a close fight and I can see it going either way, but look for a tight line with a sight lean towards RDA as I expect him to get a ton of respect after his knockout win over Henderson and I think bettors will somewhat disrespect Diaz after his long layoff. Warlley Alves vs. Alan Jouban, UFC Fight Night 56 TUF Brazil 3 winner Warlley Alves is set to return to the Octagon and in his first fight since winning the reality show he will take on Alan Jouban at UFC Fight Night 56, which takes place November 8 at Ginasio Municipal Tancredo Neves in Uberlandia, Brazil. Jouban had an impressive UFC debut when he knocked out Seth Baczynski in the first round, but Alves, who won TUF Brazil 3, is a future superstar in the sport in my opinion. I like Jouban and I’m surprised the UFC is feeding him to Alves here, but that looks exactly like what they are doing. Look for Alves to be the favorite here as he looks to continue to roll through the UFC welterweight division. Brad Pickett vs. Chico Camus, UFC Fight Night 57 A flyweight bout between Brad Pickett vs. Chico Camus has been added to UFC Fight Night 57, which takes place November 22 at Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas. Camus is a grinder and he will be big at 125lbs, but Pickett is a very good fighter and this is a pretty big mismatch on paper. I’m not exactly sure why the UFC booked this fight, but I guess they think Camus will be competitive with Pickett, who hasn’t looked good since dropping to flyweight. Still, I believe Pickett is the superior mixed martial artist and I think he wins this fight. Look for Pickett to be a big favorite as he looks to re-emerge as a flyweight contender. Josh Samman vs. Eddie Gordon, UFC 181 A middleweight bout between Josh Samman and TUF 19 winner Eddie Gordon has been added to UFC 181, which takes place December 6 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Samman is a very good fighter and I’m high on him, but he hasn’t fought in nearly two years and I have a feeling the UFC is feeding him to Gordon here, as I believe they feel Gordon has the higher upside. I think Samman has a chance of pulling off the upset, but Gordon deserves to be favored here as I believe most people will be picking him to win the fight. Igor Pokrajac vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima, UFC Fight Night 58 A light heavyweight bout between Igor Pokrajac and Marcos Rogerio de Lima has been added to UFC Fight Night 58, which takes place December 20 at Ginasio Jose Correa in Barueri, Brazil. Pokrajac is one of the lowest-ranked 205lbers in the UFC and I’m shocked he’s still in the promotion after his recent four-fight winless streak. In this matchup, it seems clear to me the UFC wants de Lima, who picked up a quick KO win in his promotional debut at the TUF Brazil 3 Finale, to knock Pokrajac out and keep moving up the ladder. It’s not a lock that will happen, but I’d say there’s a good chance. Look for de Lima to enter this fight as the favorite, and I think he’s going to be the man who ends Pokrajac’s UFC career.
