A few new bouts were announced for upcoming cards over the weekend, and for today’s MMA Odds and Ends I’ll list the bouts and give my thoughts on them. Jorge Masvidal vs. Cezar Ferreira, TUF 21 Finale Jorge Masvidal will move up to 170lbs for the first time in his UFC career when he takes on Cezar Ferreira, who is moving down from 185lbs, at the TUF 21 Finale, which is set to take place July 12 at a location-to-be-announced in Florida. It’s expected this fight will air on the main card. This is a weird fight. I know Masvidal has had some issues making 155lbs, but overall he’s look nothing short of great in the UFC lightweight division, so it’s surprising he’s moving up a weight class following his controversial split decision loss to Al Iaquinta. As for Ferreira, moving to 170lbs is a good move for him considering how bad he looked in his last fight against Sam Alvey, where he was knocked out, but facing off against a guy of Masvidal’s caliber in his welterweight debut is a tough gig. This is a Blackzilians vs. ATT matchup, and it should be a good one, but I like Masvidal here. Despite the size difference, I feel like he’s the better fighter and I expected him to come away with his hand raised, although I do expect the line to be competitive given the variables. Edgar Garcia vs. Andrew Craig, UFC Fight Night 71 A welterweight battle between Edgar Garcia and Andrew Craig will take place at UFC Fight Night 71, which takes place July 15 at Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California. This will mark Craig’s debut in the 170lb division, and will likely take place on the preliminary card. Craig hasn’t fought since last June and has lost three of his last four fights, but I like him here against Garcia, who I do not rate very highly. I feel like the UFC is giving Craig a very winnable fight in his welterweight debut and I feel like he’s going to come away with the win. I just hope we can get a good line on Craig. Joseph Duffy vs. Ivan Jorge, UFC Fight Night 72 A lightweight matchup between Joseph Duffy and Ivan Jorge is the first fight that has been added to UFC Fight Night 72, which is set for July 18 at SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland. It’s likely this fight will open up the main card as it’s no doubt a showcase fight for the Irishman Duffy. There really isn’t much to say about this fight. It’s clearly a showcase fight for Duffy in Europe and I expect him to absolutely wipe the floor with Jorge, who is going to be completely overmatched in this fight. Jorge has been surprisingly durable during his UFC run, but Duffy — who is dangerous both on the feet and on the mat — is probably going to finish him in the first round. Everyone will like Duffy here, so look for him to be around -500 in this fight as he continues to march up the lightweight ladder. Ben Saunders vs. Kenny Robertson, UFC on FOX 16 And finally, a welterweight bout between veterans Kenny Robertson and Ben Saunders has been added to UFC on FOX 16, which is set to take place July 25 at United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The fight is expected to be a part of the preliminary card. This is an awesome fight between two vets who always come to scrap. Robertson has won three fights in a row, mostly as an underdog, while Saunders won in his return to the UFC by taking out Joe Riggs via first-round TKO. Robertson, especially, has looked awesome as of late, and I’m expecting a fantastic fight when these two throw down this summer. As far as odds go, Saunders will be favored, but Robertson is a very live dog and as of this writing I’m leaning his way a bit.
