Injuries to four fighters have shook up four upcoming UFC bouts, and for Tuesday’s MMA Odds and Ends I’ll give you the lowdown on which fighters are hurt, and who is replacing them. Patrick Holohan vs. Chris Kelades, UFC Fight Night 54 An injury to Louis Gaudinot forced him to withdraw from UFC Fight Night 54, and his original opponent Patrick Holohan will now take on UFC newcomer Chris Kelades this Saturday at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Kelades is doing the UFC a favor here by taking the fight on very short notice, and it’s his ticket to the Octagon, but this is a bad matchup for him. Holohan is one of the biggest flyweights in the UFC and I just don’t see how Kelades can take him down or outstrike him on the feet. I like Holohan a lot and was ready to pick him over Louis Gaudinot, and I certainly believe he’ll beat Kelades this weekend, and I expect a huge line on him. Mitch Gagnon vs. Roman Salazar, UFC Fight Night 54 Rob Font was forced to pull out of his UFC Fight Night 54 bout against Mitch Gagnon and now Gagnon will take on Roman Salazar, who will be making his Octagon debut. I don’t know much about Salazar but Gagnon is one of the most underrated bantamweights in the UFC and as long as his cardio holds up, he should win this fight. Look for a big line on Gagnon when the odds for the UFC Fight Night 54 prelims open this week. Carlos Diego Ferreira vs. Beneil Dariush, UFC 179 Alan Patrick broke his jaw and was forced to pull out of his lightweight fight against Beneil Dariush at UFC 179, and now the undefeated Carlos Diego Ferreira will take on Dairush at the UFC’s next PPV event, which takes place October 25 at Maracanazinho Gymnasium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Dariush is a solid fighter but Ferreira is one of the top lightweight prospects in the UFC and I think he absolutely runs through Dariush in this fight, although it should be fun while it lasts. Look for Ferreira to open as a sizeable favorite in this bout as he looks to improve his UFC record to 3-0. Neil Seery vs. Richie Vaculik, UFC Fight Night 55 Top prospect Ray Borg was forced to withdraw from his upcoming flyweight bout against Richie Vaculik, and the UFC called upon Neil Seery to take the fight on short notice at UFC Fight Night 55, which takes place November 8 at Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia. I was looking forward to seeing Borg fight against but this replacement bout is pretty solid. It’s essentially a striker vs. grappler matchup with Seery the striker and Vaculik the grappler. If Vaculik can land takedowns, he should be able to grind Seery out, but Seery has pretty good takedown defence and if he can keep it standing his standup skills are superior to Vaculik’s. It’s a Pick ’em fight, but I slightly lean towards the hometown guy in Vaculik, although it’s very close.
