World Series of Fighting today announced a slew of fights for its third event, which is scheduled to take place June 14 at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV. We already knew about the main event, which is a welterweight bout between former UFC fighters Jon Fitch and Josh Burkman. The two have previously fought in the UFC with Fitch winning the fight via submission, but this is an interesting rematch as Fitch is kind of on the down slope of his career while Burkman has looked better and better than ever as of late. Still, even though Burkman is red-hot, expect Fitch to open as a big favorite, perhaps in the vicinity of -300, with the comeback on Burkman being around +250 to start. In the co-main event, light heavyweight striker Tyrone Spong will fight for the second time in an MMA match as he takes on little-known Angel DeAnda. DeAnda is actually a pretty tough guy and has a decent record but Spong is amongst the most talented stand-up fighters in the world in any martial art and this is a fight that WSOF booked with the intentions of getting him another win. Expect Spong to be around -400 to start, and possibly even higher, with DeAnda being int he +350/+400 range at least. In a heavyweight bout, Dave Huckaba will take on Rolles Gracie. Huckaba had a very close fight in Bellator last year against Damian Grabowski and ended up losing a decision, but he’s bounced back with three-straight wins. As for Gracie, he’s won five fights in a row since his one-and-done UFC stint against Joey Beltran. This fight to me is the classic striker vs. grappler matchup. Huckaba is actually a tough guy and a decent fighter but Gracie is lights out on the ground and will win if he gets it down to the mat. Expect Gracie to open as a -250 favorite at least, or possibly even more. In a lightweight bout, surging prospect Justin Gaethje will take on UFC veteran Brian Cobb. With Gaethje looking phenomenal against JZ Cavalcante in his WSOF debut and Cobb being maddeningly inconsistent since leaving the UFC expect Gaethje to open as a -300 favorite at least. Additionally, UFC lightweight veterans John Gunderson and Dan Lauzon will fight on the un-televised preliminary card, which means there will likely be no betting line available for this fight. All in all the WSOF is putting together another terrific card after two excellent events to start their tenure in the mixed martial arts world. Credit is due to WSOF president Ray Sefo and matchmaker Ali Abdel-Aziz, who continue to sign underrated fighters and create fun, exciting fights for the fans, and if the WSOF can keep it up then this is a promotion that can stick around for a while.
