We are midway through 2016, and the UFC’s calendar continues to fill up. Here are my thoughts on some recently booked match-ups… Fight: Francisco Rivera vs Erik “Goyito” Perez Card: UFC 201 Where: Atlanta, GA When: July 30, 2016 Thoughts: This is going to be a Mexican war in the UFC’s bantamweight division and is a match-up I cannot wait to see. Pitting two Mexicans against each other inside the Octagon is generally a recipe for fireworks and I think it will be no different with these fan-favorite fighters. On a stacked UFC 201 fight card, this will be one of the bouts I look forward to most. Fight: Cody Garbrandt vs Takeya Mizugaki Card: UFC 202 Where: Las Vegas, NV When: August 20, 2016 Thoughts: In this bantamweight match-up, Garbrandt will be getting what is arguably the stiffest test of his professional mixed martial arts career when he takes on the Japanese veteran Mizugaki. Coming off a highlight reel first round knockout of then-undefeated prospect Thomas Almeida, Garbrandt will put himself in the UFC’s 135-pound title picture with a victory over Mizugaki. I think this is going to be an entertaining scrap and I very much look forward to seeing these bantamweights square off inside the Octagon. Fight: Anthony Pettis vs Charles Oliveira Card: UFC on FOX 21 Where: Vancouver, BC When: August 27, 2016 Thoughts: It’s been a long time coming; Pettis finally makes the move dropping down from lightweight to the UFC’s featherweight division, where he will be greeted by Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira, who himself used to compete at 155-pounds in the UFC. Pettis is making the move following a three fight losing streak at lightweight, and Oliveira is coming off a first round guillotine choke submission of Myles Jury, which makes this a rare “winner vs loser” match-up in the UFC’s featherweight division. I think Pettis vs Oliveira is a very exciting match-up and I can’t wait to see it go down! Fight: Alexander Gustafsson vs Jan Blachowicz Card: UFC Fight Night 93 Where: Hamburg, Germany When: September 3, 2016 Thoughts: While a fan of both 205-pound fighters, I am not a fan of this particular fight booking. I don’t really have much interest in seeing Gustafsson and Blachowicz go at it inside the Octagon and would have much preffered seeing them take on other opposition. That said, I will definitely be tuning into this one, and do expect Gustafsson to find a way to get his hand raised. This is a European vs European match-up in a European country neither man come from, so I wonder who the crowd in Germany will be behind. I would say most likely the former light heavyweight title contender, as he is the much more popular fighter of the two. Fight: Nik Lentz vs Mairbek Taisumov Card: UFC 203 Where: Cleveland, OH When: September 10, 2016 Thoughts: Lentz picked up a win over Danny Castillo in his return to the UFC’s lightweight division and will be aiming to make it two straight by taking out Dagestani fighter Taisumov. This is a classic “striker vs grappler” match-up in the UFC’s 155-pound division; Taisumov will certainly be looking to keep things on the feet and find the fight-ending blow, while Lentz will eagerly be seeking the takedown. Taisumov last had trouble when he faced a grappler in Michel Prazeres, so it will be interesting to see how he does against Lentz.
