A few new UFC bouts were announced over the weekend, and for today’s MMA Odds and Ends I’ll give my quick thoughts on all of them. Paul Redmond vs. Mirsad Bektic, UFC on FOX 14 Due to an injury to Alan Omer, top prospect Mirsad Bektic will now take on UFC newcomer Paul Redmond at UFC on FOX 14, which takes place January 24 at Tele2 Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. Sean Sheehan of SevereMMA.com broke the news. Redmond is a solid veteran but Bektic is one of the top featherweight prospects in the sport and I fully expect him to win this fight. The fact Redmond took it on short notice is also very concerning, obviously, but there is a sizeable skill difference here as well in Bektic’s favor. So look for Bektic to open as a solid favorite in this one as he looks to make it 2-0 in the Octagon. Masio Fullen vs. Alexander Torres, UFC 184 A featherweight bout between TUF Latin American alum Masio Fullen and Alexander Torres has been added to UFC 184, which takes place February 28 at Staples Center in Los Angles, California. I don’t know enough about either fighter at this point in time to really give a lean in this fight, and with both men having very few professional bouts on their resume, this looks like the perfect fight to pass on, although I may change my mind about that as the event draws closer and I do more research on these two. Lyoto Machida vs. Luke Rockhold, UFC on FOX 15 The main event of UFC on FOX 15 has been set with a five-round middleweight bout between Lyoto Machida and Luke Rockhold. The card takes place April 18 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey and the winner of this bout is expected to be in line for a UFC middleweight title shot. This is going to be a fantastic bout and could be a “Fight of the Year” candidate when it’s all said and done. Both men are 3-1 in the UFC middleweight division and both men are coming off of destructive wins in their last fights, with Rockhold submitting Michael Bisping and Machida knocking out CB Dollaway. I expect both men to be hungry in this one as both look to claim a UFC middleweight title shot, and I can’t wait to see how this fight plays out in the cage. The official line for this fight will be released in the coming days, but look for tight odds in what should be an epic encounter between two of the best middleweights on the planet. Manny Gamburyan vs. Aljamain Sterling, UFC on FOX 15 In addition to Machida vs. Rockhold, a bantamweight bout between veteran Manny Gamburyan and up-and-comer Aljamain Stering was also added to UFC on FOX 15. This is a pretty one-sided fight on paper and I fully expect Sterling to win this fight in dominant fashion as he keeps moving up the bantamweight ladder. There’s no doubt Gamburyan is a tough veteran who offers a nice grappling game, but Sterling’s explosiveness and athleticism should guide him to victory here, and I think he deserves to be a huge favorite in this fight.
