There were a few fights announced in the last few days that I wasn’t able to get to for any previous editions of MMA Odds and Ends, so for today’s edition I’ll list the fights I missed and will give my quick thoughts on each. Tony Martin vs. Leonardo Santos, UFC Fight Night 62 A lightweight bout between Tony Martin and TUF Brazil 2 winner Leonardo Santos takes place at UFC Fight Night 62, which is set for March 21 at Ginasio do Maracanzinho in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Martin is replacing Matt Wiman, who pulled out of the fight with a back injury. This is definitely an interesting fight. I think Martin is the better fighter but his gas tank is so bad that if he doesn’t get Santos out of there in the first, he will almost certainly gas and fade as the fight goes on. Santos isn’t a world beater but he’s definitely capable of beating the majority of UFC lightweights, Martin included, and this isn’t an easy fight to call at all. Look for the line to be around a Pick ’em for this fight, one that I’m going back and forth on. Aisling Daly vs. Claudia Gadelha, UFC Fight Night 64 A women’s strawweight bout between Aisling Daly and Claudia Gadelha has been added to UFC Fight Night 64, which takes place April 11 at Krakow Arena in Krakow, Poland. Gadelha lost a controversial split decision in her last fight that cost her the chance to get a title shot but a win over Daly would put her right back into title contention. Daly looked good in her UFC debut against Alex Chambers, but Gadelha is a different beast. This won’t be a walk in the park for her, but I fully expect Gadelha to win this fight and I expect her to be a sizeable favorite going into the matchup. Ryan Bader vs. Daniel Cormier, UFC Fight Night 68 And finally, the main event of UFC Fight Night 68 will be a five-round light heavyweight bout between Ryan Bader and Daniel Cormier. The event takes place June 6 at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. This is just a bad matchup for Bader. He won’t be able to get DC down to the mat and on he feet, while he does have some power in his hands, I do consider DC the superior striker in the matchup and believe he will knock Bader out with punches. Despite Bader coming into this fight on a four-fight win streak, DC should be a big favorite here.
