A number of new fights have been announced for upcoming UFC cards. Here they are, along with my thoughts on each. Wendell Oliveira vs. Darren Till, UFC Fight Night 67 After TJ Waldburger pulled out of his UFC Fight Night 67 bout against Wendell Oliveira, the UFC has signed newcomer Darren Till, who will take on the Brazilian May 30 at Goiania Arena in Goiania, Brazil. This is a good fight, although it’s a bit unfortunate Till didn’t get a full camp to prepare for Oliveira, although he was training for another fight before the UFC called him for this opportunity. He’s a very good prospect and while Oliveira is a dangerous fighter, the UFC newcomer Till looks like someone to keep an eye on. The odds will be close for this one, but even with the short notice I do slightly lean towards Till to get the win, but it’s definitely not an easy fight to call. Yosdenis Cedeno vs. Cody Pfister, UFC 189 A lightweight fight between Yosdenis Cedeno and Cody Pfister has been added to UFC 189, which takes place July 11 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is a fun fight. Cedeno is a very good striker and will look to pick Pfister apart. Pfister is an extremely durable and tough fighter but he looked like a punching bag in his last outing. He’ll look to grind Cedeno down here, but if he can’t do that then Cedeno should outstrike him. The odds will be competitive for this fight but I do lean towards Cedeno to get the win and think he should be favored slightly. Russell Doane vs. Jerrod Sanders, TUF 21 Finale A bantamweight bout between Russell Doane and Jerrod Sanders will go down at the TUF 21 Finale, which takes place July 12 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada the night after UFC 189. Doane is actually a pretty decent fighter who has earned a couple of nice wins in the UFC over Leandro Issa and Marcus Brimage. Sanders, on the other hand, has fought twice, and he got beaten convincingly by Pedro Munoz and Yosdenis Cedeno. I’m not very high on Sanders and don’t really think he’s UFC quality while I do think Doane is. I think Doane wins this fight, an I expect him to be a healthy favorite heading into this one. Holly Holm vs. Marion Reneau, UFC Fight Night 71 A fun women’s bantamweight contest between Holly Holm and Marion Reneau will be a part of UFC Fight Night 71, which goes down July 15 from Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California. Holm had a letdown performance in her UFC debut against Raquel Pennington where she squeaked by with a split decision win, while Reneau has looked fantastic, smashing Alexis Dufresne in her debut and then subbing Jessica Andrade in her sophomore appearance. Both of these women are extremely talented fighters and this should be an excellent fight. Holm gets a lot of love from the bettors and will likely be a big favorite in this one, but Reneau is very solid and is absolutely a live dog in this fight. Eddie Wineland vs. Bryan Caraway, UFC on FOX 16 A fantastic bantamweight bout between Eddie Wineland and Bryan Caraway is the latest addition to UFC on FOX 16, which takes place July 25 at United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Wineland has not fought in over a year since losing by knockout to Johnny Eduardo and overall has lost his last two fight in a row by knockout each time. As for Caraway, he was making a run for the title but was derailed by Raphael Assuncao in his last fight. Still, he remains a top bantamweight. This is a tough fight to call. I think Wineland is the better fighter but he hasn’t fought in a long time and he seem to be on the downside of his career. Caraway isn’t elite, but he’s solid, and he will get Wineland a good fight. I slightly lean Wineland and think he’ll be a small favorite, but it’s a tough fight to call.
