No rest for the wear as UFC announced several huge match-ups for upcoming events, including heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum’s first official title defense, and he’ll have a familiar foe: Fabricio Werdum vs Cain Velasquez 2, TBA While the official location and date haven’t been announced, Werdum will rematch former champion Cain Velasquez, who he dethroned this past June at UFC 188 in Mexico City, Mexico. Werdum surprisingly was the better conditioned fighter in that match-up, as Velasquez was returning from a 20-month layoff. Werdum clearly outstruck Velasquez over the first two and a half rounds before forcing the then-champ to tap out with a guillotine choke at the midway point of the fight. Many have brought up Velasquez’s injury history, the long break between fights and the high elevation of Mexico City as to why Velasquez seemed “off” on fight night, so I’m going to hazard a guess that this fight will take place at regular elevation somewhere in early 2016. Regardless, Werdum should open as a slight favorite considering his performance the last time around. Stipe Miocic vs Ben Rothwell, UFC Fight Night 76 This fight could determine the next title challenger. Both Stipe Miocic and Ben Rothwell are on a roll right now in the heavyweight division as Miocic had a dominant showing against Mark Hunt in Australia this past May while Rothwell has won three straight including first round finishes of Alistair Overeem and Matt Mitrione. Depending on how Andrei Arlovski looks in his fight against Frank Mir later this year, the best-looking performer will likely get the next crack at the belt. The contest will be the co-main event of UFC: Dublin under the Duffee/Poirier bout while Paddy Holohan vs Louis Smolka, UFC Fight Night 76 Two flyweights coming off surprisingly effective performances will clash at the upcoming UFC Dublin event. It’s no surprise Patrick Holohan will be competing in Dublin as he is a very popular Irish fighter. Smolka will be looking to knock off his second straight Irish opponent as he was able to outgrapple Neil Magny at UFC 189 en route to earning a decision victory. Smolka was rocked repeatedly but won all of the ground exchanges. The odds on this one should be close but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Holohan get the early edge as the favorite due to his recent performances and the location of this contest. Liz Carmouche vs Raquel Pennington, UFC 191 Two girls looking to get back on track will duke it out next month for UFC 191. Liz Carmouche honestly should be on a three-fight losing skid after she squeaked out a very controversial decision against Lauren Murphy this past April. Raquel Pennington was competitive in her last fight, a split decision loss to current top contender Holly Holm this past February. Neither fighter is expected to be a big player in the UFC women’s bantamweight division but they can serve their roles well and this has the potential to be a loser leaves town bout. I would expect Carmouche to open as the early favorite, but Pennington is the better striker and could pull this out if she can avoid being taken down for extended periods.
