The UFC continued to announce a range of fresh bouts for its upcoming cards. Here are the brand new matchups, together with my first thoughts on them.
David Teymur vs. Charles Oliveira, UFC Fight Night 144
Lightweights David Teymur and Charles Oliveira will fight at UFC Fight Night 144, occurring February 2 at Centro de Forma????o Ol??mpica do Nordeste in Fortaleza, Brazil. Teymur (8-1) is 5-0 at the UFC and in his final excursion defeated Nik Lentz. He’s had trouble getting competitions to fight him, as he is super dangerous but not rated in the top-15. Oliveira (25-8, 1 NC) is 13-8, 1 NC from the UFC and is coming from a three-fight win series, including a submission win over Jim Miller in his final struggle. As great as Oliveira is on the floor, this resembles the type of matchup that is kryptonite for him against a much-better striker in Teymur who also has excellent takedown defense. For that reason, I would actually favor Teymur in this fight.
Junior Albini vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik, UFC Fight Night 144
Due to an injury to Dmitry Sosnovskiy, Junior Albini will now take on short-notice replacement Jarizinho Rozenstruik at UFC Fight Night 144. DWT broke the information. Albini (14-4) is 1-2 at the UFC and dropped to Aleksiy Oleinik via Ezekiel choke in his last fight. Rozenstruik (6-0) has won five of his battles with strikes except for his one look in RIZIN, which he won a decision in. Most bettors will look to fade Albini, however it’s difficult to say if this is the right spot to fade him as Rozenstruik is quite unproven against a nice degree of competition.
Rani Yahya vs. Ricky Simon, UFC 234
Bantamweights Rani Yahya and Ricky Simon are set to clash at UFC 234, taking place February 10 in Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia. Combate broke the information. Yahya (26-9, 1 NC) is 11-3, 1 NC in the UFC and has won seven of his last eight fights overall. He’s a really underrated fighter and using a win here in case land a top-10 opponent. Simon (14-1) is currently 2-0 in the UFC and is riding a seven-fight win streak in general. Yahya has all the expertise but Simon has lots of upside and I would rather go with the fighter in this spot.
Sam Alvey vs. Gadzhimurad Antigulov, UFC Fight Night 145
Light heavyweight actions between Sam Alvey and Gadzhimurad Antigulov will take place at UFC Fight Night 145, on February 23 at O2 Stadium in Prague, Czech Republic. Igor Lazorin broke the news. Alvey (33-11, 1 NC) is 10-6 in the UFC and has been recently knocked out by Antonio Rogerio Nogueria. Antigulov (20-5) is 2-1 in the UFC but endured a KO loss to Ion Cutelaba in his last struggle. This should be a true banger of a fight but I need to fade Alvey inside this area and go with Antigulov, although I am hoping a close line either way.
Cezar Ferreira vs. Tom Breese, UFC Fight Night 147
Due to an injury to Alessio di Chirico, Cezar Ferreira has stepped up to combat Tom Breese at UFC Fight Night 147, which takes place March 16 at the O2 Arena in London, England. Ferreira (13-7) is 9-5 overall from the UFC but is coming off of a disappointing decision reduction to Ian Heinisch. Breese (11-1) is 4-1 in the UFC and blasted Dan Kelly in his UFC middleweight debut. Ferreira is a solid fighter but I do not trust his chin against a strong puncher like Breese, that I hope to be greatly favored here in his home nation.
Disclaimer: This page includes affiliate links and MMA Odds Breaker is going to be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on the links.
