A number of new UFC bouts were announced in the last 24 hours, and for today’s Odds and Ends I’ll give my thoughts on these new matches. Yancy Medeiros vs. Tony Ferguson, UFC 184 A lightweight bout between rising contenders Yancy Medeiros and Tony Ferguson has been added to UFC 184, which takes place February 28 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. An excellent fight between two rising lightweights, but I have to go with Ferguson here. I think he’s been fighting a higher level of competition than Medeiros has, and although the Hawaiian has been ultra impressive as of late, so has Ferguson, and I think this matchup favors him stylistically. It’s a great fight that should produce a ton of action for the fans, but I think Ferguson can finish it, and I see him being favored here around -200 or so. Johny Hendricks vs. Matt Brown, UFC 185 With Robbie Lawler still needing time off, Johny Hendricks didn’t want to wait around and the UFC decided to match him up with Matt Brown in the co-main event of UFC 185, which takes place March 14 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. I think you have to lean Hendricks because of the wrestling advantage, but Brown is going to be a live dog once again, in my opinion. Brown rarely gets respect from bettors but before his last loss to Lawler, he had won seven-straight fights in a row. On the other hand Hendricks gets a ton of respect from bettors and is also coming off of a loss to Lawler in a fight he was favored to win. If Brown can stuff Hendricks’ takedowns and keep this fight on the feet he will have a good chance of winning the fight because he is the better striker, but I think Hendricks is going to be able to get takedowns at the right times and win a decision in Texas. Look for Hendricks to open as the favorite at just over 2-to-1. Elias Theodorou vs. Roger Narvaez, UFC 185 Also a new addition to UFC 185 is a middleweight bout between Canada’s Elias Theodorou, the TUF Nations winner, and Roger Narvaez, who will be fighting in his home state of Texas for the second-straight fight. This is a good matchup stylistically for Theodorou, who should be able to take Narvaez down to the ground and grind him out on the mat. Narvaez likely has a slight striking advantage here, but I don’t think it matters because I think he gets put on his back early in this one and doesn’t get a chance to use his high kicks, which he hurt Luke Barnatt badly with in his last fight. I like Theodorou a lot here, and believe he should be around -250 in this spot. Ryan Benoit vs. Sergio Pettis, UFC 185 And finally, Sergio Pettis has come to his senses and will make the drop down to flyweight when he takes on Ryan Benoit in a UFC 185 preliminary card bout. This is a showcase fight for Pettis and I think he will shine here. Benoit is a solid fighter, but he lost to Josh Sampo in his debut and hasn’t fought in over a year. Pettis, on the other hand, has picked up a few decent wins in the UFC bantamweight division over the same time period and I see the same thing happening here as I think he will get the better of Benoit on the feet and outstriking him en route to a decision win. Look for Pettis to be a big favorite here, probably in the -400 range and possibly even higher.
