The UFC was busy announcing bouts for upcoming fight cards in recent weeks, and under are my thoughts on a few of the newly-announced bouts for UFC Philadelphia and UFC Russia.
Josh Emmett vs. Michael Johnson, UFC on ESPN 2 Featherweight competition Josh Emmett will return from a long layoff when he takes on Michael Johnson in UFC on ESPN 2, which takes place March 30 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ESPN broke news of the struggle. Emmett (13-2) is currently 4-2 in the UFC but hasn’t fought because a brutal KO loss to Jeremy Stephens in February 2018. He rocketed up the rankings with a knockout win over Ricardo Lamas but the loss to Stephens where he broke his nose was a big setback. Johnson (19-13) is 11-9 in the UFC and is coming from back-to-back decision wins over Andre Fili and Artem Lobov. But he had lost three straight fights before that. Though Johnson is inconsistent, we understand how great he is when he’s at his best, and with Emmett coming off of such a long layoff you have to fade him and prefer Johnson to win this fight.
Ray Borg vs. Pingyuan Liu, UFC on ESPN two Ray Borg will proceed up to bantamweight when he takes on Pingyuan Liu at UFC on ESPN 2. The Philly Voice broke news. Borg (11-3) is currently 5-3 in the UFC but has not fought since a submission loss to Demetrious Johnson in October 2017. He was among the best flyweights from the UFC but will soon be moving up to bantamweight now and it will be intriguing to see if he could make a run in his new weight class. Liu (13-5) is riding a nine-fight win series including a 2-0 mark in the Octagon with wins over Damian Stasiak and Martin Day. Even though he’s going up to bantamweight, there’s no doubt Borg will be a big favorite here only based on his UFC expertise and level of competition.
Marcin Tybura vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov, UFC Fight Night 149
Heavyweights Marcin Tybura and Shamil Abdurakhimov will square off UFC Fight Night 149, set for April 20 in Yubileyny Sports Palace at St. Petersburg, Russia. Tybura (17-4) is 4-3 in the UFC and chose over Stefan Struve in his final outing. Abdurakhimov (19-4) is 4-2 in the UFC and is coming from back-to-back wins over Andrei Arlovski and Chase Sherman. It’s heavyweight MMA so you can never be sure of the outcome, but I think Tybura is the better fighter and should be preferred here.
Emil Weber Meek vs. Sultan Aliev, UFC Fight Night 149
Welterweights Emil Weber Meek and Sultan Aliev may also fulfill at UFC Fight Night 149. Meek (9-4, 1 NC) is currently 1-2 at the UFC and is coming from successive declines to Kamaru Usman and Bartosz Fabinski. Aliev (14-3) is 1-2 in the UFC and is coming off of a TKO loss to Warlley Alves. Both men have been disappointments in the UFC, but Meek usually gets more respect from bettors and I suppose he will be favored here.
Krzysztof Jotko vs. Roman Kopylov, UFC Fight Night 149
And lastly, a middleweight bout will see Krzysztof Jotko take on UFC newcomer Roman Kopylov at UFC Fight Night 149. Jotko (19-4) is 6-4 at the UFC but is driving a three-fight losing skid including back-to-back KO declines to Uriah Hall and Brad Tavares. Kopylov (8-0) is making his UFC debut after going undefeated in the Russian regional arena. It is hard to back Jotko following his current win series, and I expect the undefeated Kopylov are the preferred here.
Disclaimer: This page contains affiliate links and MMA Odds Breaker will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on the links.
Read more: https://parkviewpantherfootball.com/