Matt Brown (20-14-0) vs. Jake Ellenberger (30-11-0); UFC 201, July 30.
Fresh off his late third round submission defeat to Demian Maia at UFC 198, Matt Brown is already hopping back on the wagon with a fight booked against Jake Ellenberger. Ellenberger, once one of the scariest men in the UFC welterweight division, has been on a massive downslide over the last couple years. Honestly, he hasn’t quite been the same ever since suffering a TKO loss to Martin Kampmann in June of 2012. “The Juggernaut” has lost five of his last six fights overall, most recently losing a decision to Tarec Saffiedine in a fight where he failed to show much offensively.
Primarily known for his knockout power, this fight against Matt Brown expects to be a very difficult one for Ellenberger. He will likely have to rely on his wrestling and submission skills if he wants to pick up the win as Brown will very likely be a solid betting favorite when odds open.
Chris Honeycutt (7-1-0, 1 NC) vs. Mikkel Parlo (13-2-0); Bellator 156, June 17.
One of Bellator’s top prospects, Chris Honeycutt’s momentum was ground to a halt by Paul Bradley via TKO in just 40 seconds this past January. “The Cutt” bounced back into the win column with a decision victory last month and Bellator has seen fit to pair him off opposite a solid European 170-pounder in Mikkel Parlo.
Parlo will be competing inside the Bellator cage for the first time in over a year. His two career losses were to solid overall fighters Brennan Ward and Sultan Aliev. He possesses a well-rounded skill-set and can pack a punch on the feet. The Danish fighter should be a solid test to see if Honeycutt is ready to get back into contention in the welterweight division.