With a bit of a light MMA weekend coming up, Titan FC will get more attention than usual as Titan FC 38 airs on UFC Fight Pass on Saturday night. The promotion’s welterweight title will be on the line in the main event as veteran Steve Carl takes on undefeated Belal Muhammad. The card also features quite a few prospects worthy of attention, and most are facing UFC veterans in one of the bigger tests of their careers. Although neither is a prospect, the lightweight co-main event sees Jason Novelli put hit 11-1 record up against UFC vet and Florida resident Yosdenis Cedeno. Sid Bice could be one of the names to keep an eye on moving forward, especially if he’s able to get past Pedro Nobre. Bice is an undefeated FactoryX product who already has wins in Titan and RFA. Nobre dropped just the second bout of his career last month against Tim Elliott, and seems eager to get back on track with a bout just seven weeks following that one. After being booked for at least three separate fights over the past 18 months, UFC veteran Jack May finally gets back in the cage for the first time since being cut from the UFC. He takes on once-defeated Chase Sherman in an interesting heavyweight bout. The final bout with odds is an interesting battle between two undefeated prospects. Peter Petties is a talented kickboxer who has transitioned over to MMA with a 3-0 pro record thus far. His opponent will be Caio Rocha, a young Brazilian who has gone 4-0 in his MMA career with a pair of first round knockouts in his last two fights. MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas opened the betting lines for the top five fights at Titan FC 38 today at Several Bookmakers. Take a look: ——————– MAIN CARD (UFC Fight Pass, 7pm ET)
——————– Brad’s Analysis: Muhammad definitely has a striking advantage over Carl in this fight, but he hasn’t really shown much power to this point in his career. That’s going to be a problem against Steve Carl, as he has a decent grappling advantage once he gets inside and nothing to disaude him from doing so. I think eventually Carl gets Muhammad to the ground and finds a submission, but I don’t have a ton of faith he gets it done. I think Yosdenis Cedeno is set to get back on track even if Jason Novelli has the glossy record heading into this fight. Novelli hasn’t really faced the competition that Cedeno stepped up against and struggled with in the UFC. Novelli is primarily a striker, and that’s not really the type of style that gives Cedeno problems. Being back home in Florida, I think Cedeno gets back on track and picks up a win. Sid Bice might be a bit too young in his career to compete with Pedro Nobre in ever facet of MMA, but his wrestling ability and cardio alone should make this a competitive fight. I actually think the youngster can succeed where Nick Honstein failed a couple fights ago and just make Nobre work and eventually wear him down to the point of winning a decision. I’d like the line to be a bit bigger to bet on a mostly unproven prospect, but may have to take the shot regardless. I’m just going to sit back and enjoy Petties/Rocha. Both fighters are talented strikers, and while Rocha will probably be the one pushing forward, Petties is probably the most technical of the two and could be able to outscore the young Brazilian on the feet. Each man has power and Rocha’s style should make the fight entertaining for as long as it last, but I have to side slightly with the more seasoned striker. Chase Sherman has the typical regional heavyweight record. He’s beaten up almost everybody he’s faced and done it quickly. Technically, he’s not much to look at, and he’s gotten by mostly due to his size and athleticism. That’s a problem for him here as Jack May is bigger and better at everything.