UFC Wichita (UFC Fight Night 146) Occurs Saturday, March 9 at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas.
The card previously was revealed to be headlined by heavyweights Derrick Lewis and Junior dos Santos, and over the weekend a couple new preliminary spells were added to the card, through ESPN. The new spells are recorded below, together with my first reactions to these, in today’s version of MMA odds and ends.
Tim Means vs. Niko Price, UFC Fight Night 146
An exciting welterweight matchup involving Tim Means and Niko Price is set for UFC Fight Night 146. Means (28-10, 1 NC) is 10-7, 1 NC from the UFC and is coming from a TKO win over Ricky Rainey that snapped a two-fight split conclusion losing skid. At 34 he is begun to age but revealed from the Rainey fight his remarkable abilities are still topnotch. Cost (12-2, 1 NC) is 4-2, 1 NC in the UFC and is coming off of a quick TKO loss to Abdul Razak Alhassan that has been a disappointing follow-up to his brutal KO win over Randy Brown on the summer. What a great battle that is involving Means and Price because it’s a battle between two men who will finish the battle on the feet and on the ground. I can see this one going either way, and this might be a surprise to those who have been following me for years, but I had actually slightly lean towards Price here simply because of his age advantage and the reality Means was in numerous wars. The opening line should be shut, but I’d probably peg Price as a small favorite in the open.
Alex Morono vs. Zak Ottow, UFC Fight Night 146
Welterweights Alex Morono and Zak Ottow will also meet on this card. Morono (15-5, 1 NC) is 4-2, 1 NC at the UFC and conquered Kenan Song in a”Battle of the Night” performance his last time out. Ottow (17-6) is 4-3 in the UFC and is coming from a split decision win over Dwight Grant. This is a really evenly-matched bout between two men in the middle of the pack at 170lbs who have been inconsistent in their UFC livelihood. I’ve been slightly more impressed by Morono inside the Octagon so I would prefer him just a bit here, but on paper it’s a close matchup and I expect the opening line to be near a Select’em.
Louis Smolka vs. Matt Schnell, UFC Fight Night 146
And lastly, Louis Smolka and Matt Schnell will proceed up to bantamweight and compete with this card. Smolka (15-5) lately made his return to the UFC using a submission win over Mudaerji. All-time Smolka includes a 6-5 record from the UFC and is currently riding a four-fight win streak complete in MMA. Schnell (11-4) is 2-2 in the UFC and defeated Naoki Inoue and Marco Beltran in his past two outings. Although Schnell has appeared better recently, Smolka is the talented fighter and is more proven fighting 135lbs. I would have to prefer Smolka to win this particular battle, and the fact it’s not taking place at flyweight is just another indication the division will be shut down this season.
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