Five new UFC bouts have been announced, and for today’s MMA Odds and Ends I’ll give my thoughts on all of them. Danny Martinez vs. Sirwan Kakai, UFC Fight Night 70 A short-notice bantamweight bout between Danny Martinez and Sirwan Kakai takes place this Saturday at UFC Fight Night 70, which will be held at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. This is a really tough fight to break down because it’s been booked on such short notice Martinez is normally a flyweight so he’s moving up a weight class on short notice for this one, but it actually could benefit him because he won’t have to cut so much weight. Having said that, he hasn’t fought in a year, which is of course a red flag. As for Kakai, this is his UFC debut after previously competing on TUF 18 and losing to Chris Beal. He trains at ATT and is coming off of a win in Titan FC. Having said that, he has no UFC experience and he hasn’t fought since last October, so there are question marks with him. This is a tough fight to pick. I’m slightly leaning towards Kakai, but with the short-notice factor this is the type of fight I’d like to avoid. I’m expecting close odds for this one, with perhaps a slight lean towards Kakai. Marcus Brimage vs. Ian Entwistle, UFC Fight Night 72 A bantamweight matchup between Marcus Brimage and Ian Entwistle goes down July 15 at UFC Fight Night 72, which takes place SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland. It’s expected to be a preliminary bout. Entwistle deserved to get a fighter coming off of a win after his recent destruction over Anthony Birchak, but Brimage, even though he’s coming off of a loss to Cody Garbrandt, is still a pretty good test for him. Entwistle is of course going to look to take this fight to the ground and get a heel hook, while for Brimage he’ll be looking to sprawl-and-brawl his way to victory. I could see Brimage stuffing the takedowns and outboxing Entwistle, but I have a feeling that Entwistle may be able to pull off the heel hook yet again. I’d imagine Brimage would be a small favorite here as Entwistle rarely gets respect from bettors, but I really would not be surprised if he won. Jim Miller vs. Danny Castillo, UFC on FOX 16 Due to an injury to Rustam Khabilov, Jim Miller has stepped up on short notice to fight Danny Castillo at UFC on FOX 16, which is set for July 25 at United Center in Chicago, Illinois. It’s expected to take place on the prelims. I was expecting Khabilov to beat Castillo and, even with the short notice, I think Miller beats him too. I think Castillo is a pretty solid fighter, but even with his decline I do believe Miller is a few steps ahead of him. As long as he’s in shape for this fight and mentally prepared, he should get his hand raised. Look for Miller to be the favorite here as he looks to get back on track in the Octagon. Fernando Bruno vs. Glaico Franco, UFC 190 A lightweight contest between Fernando Bruno and Glaico Franco will serve as the finals of the TUF Brazil 4 lightweight tournament. I didn’t get a chance to watch the show, so I can’t really give my thoughts on this fight, only to note that it was supposed to take place this weekend at UFC Fight Night 70 before visa issues pushed both guys off the card. Dileno Lopes vs. Reginaldo Vieira, UFC 190 A bantamweight bout between Dileno Lopes and Reginaldo Vieira will double up as the finals of the TUF Brazil 4 bantamweight tourney. Like the other TUF final, I can’t really give my thoughts on this since I didn’t watch the show, so stay tuned for my Fight Breakdown for this one in late July.
