The UFC is headed to 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, Colorado, on February 14, and the first three fights have been announced for the card. Here they are below: Max Holloway vs. Cole Miller The winner of four straight fights, young Max Holloway puts his winning streak on the line when he meets Cole Miller at UFC Broomfield. Holloway is 7-3 since entering the UFC in 2012, while Miller, who was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter season five, is 10-6 overall in the Octagon, including 3-3 as a featherweight. Holloway will have the striking advantage in this fight between two of the tallest and longest featherweights in the UFC, and I think that will serve him well in this matchup against Miller, whose best strength lies on the ground with his BJJ. Holloway has to be careful not to leave his neck exposed if this fight does hit the ground, but with his solid takedown defence I don’t think this fight ever hits the mat. Instead, I see it taking place primarily on the feet, where I expect Holloway to get the best of Miller, either outstriking him en route to a decision or knocking him out. Miller deserves some respect in the betting lines, but I really do like Holloway in this matchup and believe he should be a -300 favorite in this spot. Zach Makovsky vs. Tim Elliott A flyweight matchup between Zach Makovsky and Tim Elliott also takes place on this card. Makovsky is 2-1 in the UFC with wins over Scott Jorgensen and Josh Sampo and a loss to Jussier Formiga, while Elliott is 2-3 with wins over Jared Papazian and Louis Gaudinot and losses to Joseph Benavidez, John Dodson and Ali Bagautinov. Both of these fighters are strong wrestlers with solid submissions skills, and in matchups like that it’s likely the fight ends up taking place primarily on the feet. On the feet Elliott has strange movement and is hard to hit, but Makovsky is more technical and throws with more power, and I’d give him a big edge should this fight take place on the feet. This is a close fight that could go either way, but I believe Makovsky should be a slight favorite heading into the bout due to a perceived edge in the striking department in what is otherwise a very close fight. Ray Borg vs. Chris Kelades And finally, highly-touted prospect Ray Borg returns from an injury-induced layoff when he takes on Chris Kelades in a flyweight bout. Borg is 1-1 in the UFC with a win over Shane Howell and a close split decision loss to Dustin Ortiz, while Kelades is 1-0 with an upset win over Patrick Holohan. Borg is one of the top prospects in this sport and his BJJ is out of this world. Although Kelades’ wrestling looked strong against Holohan, I don’t think he’ll want to take Borg to the ground as the young Texan has out-of-this-world submission skills and the ability to end the fight on the fly with just one dominant position. Although Ortiz gave Borg problems in the wrestling department, I think he’ll hold his own against Kelades in this spot, and find a way to pull off the victory. Look for Borg to be a solid favorite in this fight, one that is likely a letdown spot for Kelades.
