After a massive pay-per-view and a Fox card, the UFC will be switching gears as the Octagon heads to Hamburg, Germany for UFC Fight Night 93 — an event exclusive to Fight Pass. The card has a very European feel as well, with only one fight not featuring a European fighter, and that was due to an injury and late replacement. The main event is a fight that could have fit in at any point over the past 15 years, as longtime vets Josh Barnett and Andrei Arlovski square off. Barnett’s two UFC fights seemed to be heading deep, until he was shockingly submitted by Ben Rothwell. Andrei Arlovski has alternated between showing off his punching power and having some dreadful performances, which makes me think this could be a drawn out affair. The odds for that main event have been released for some time at Several Bookmakers, and Barnett is currently sitting as a -140 favorite, with the comeback on Arlovski at +120. The other top fights also have lines. Alexander Gustafsson (-700) returns to the Octagon after nearly a year out to take on Jan Blachowicz (+500), and Ryan Bader (-275) hopes to kickstart a new winning streak against Ilir Latifi (+235). The main card is rounded out with a lightweight bout between Germany’s foremost MMA fighter Nick Hein and Tae Hyun Bang. On the preliminary card, two fights have been line thus far: In the middleweight division, Scott Askham (-125) welcomes former Cage Warriors champion Jack Hermansson (+105) to the UFC; Welterweights Nicolas Dalby (-110) and Peter Sobotta (-110) are dead even at the books. Today, MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas opened the betting odds for the remaining seven fights on UFC Fight Night 93 at Several Bookmakers. Those fights include six UFC newcomers, which could make for some interesting opportunities. ——————– MAIN CARD (UFC Fight Pass, 11:15am ET)
——————– PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC Fight Pass, 7:30am ET)
——————– Brad’s Analysis: Khabilov/Silva has the potential to be a very slow-paced fight. Both guys prefer to counter, and have been criticized for not fighting to their potential because of their hesitance to pull the trigger. It’s hard to see either guy changing much in this fight, but Khabilov should be able to cruise to a comfortable victory because he’s the more talented striker and has the better wrestling of the two. Silva is also taking the fight on short notice, which should help the Dagestani. I’ve seen Christian Colombo fight a couple times on the regional circuit, and aside from being big there’s not a ton there. Luckily for him, Jarjis Danho is pretty much the exact same. I don’t expect this fight to inspire viewers much, but for those who have jumped on board the heavyweight over trend, this looks to be heading in that direction. Tae Hyun Bang mostly struggles in fights when his opponents want to take things to the ground and can control and/or submit him. Luckily for him, Nick Hein has only attempted 4 takedowns in his past three UFC fights so there’s not a big concern there. On the feet, this is a very close fight where Bang’s height and reach may give him a slight edge, but with it being in Hein’s backyard I would need a big number to play the Korean. Leandro Issa needs to get Taylor Lapilus to the ground in order to win this fight, and I’m just not sure that’s in the cards for him. Lapilus has shown surprisingly good takedown defense since coming to the UFC, and he also uses his movement pretty well to stop a lot of takedowns before they even start. On the feet, Lapilus should be able to pick Issa apart as the longer, more technical striker who also happens to be a southpaw. Getting to the newcomer portion of the card, we start with a familiar face. Anybody who has watched MMA closely over the past 10 years is probably aware of Jim Wallhead. A mainstay in the Cage Warriors and BAMMA promotions in the UK, he also had a brief stint in Bellator. The big change in Wallhead’s game over the past couple years has been the development of his power, as 4 of his past 5 wins have come by TKO. He will have an advantage on the feet against Jessin Ayari, who is a talented grappler, but may not have the wrestling to get past Wallhead’s Judo game to get him down. Ayari has also been finished in all three of his losses — twice by strikes — so I like the veteran Wallhead to have a successful debut. On one hand, we have Ashlee Evans-Smith who should be 0-2 in the UFC and is still most notable for defeating Fallon Fox. On the other we have Veronica Macedo, who had a draw in her last fight to get into the UFC, and has the typical women’s MMA regional record of wins over a bunch of fighters with zero experience. This is a crapshoot, and I have no desire to bet it in any way. This Buschkamp/Enlund matchup is better than most will expect it to be, and the styles of the two fighters should make it entertaining. Martin Buschkamp is a strong wrestler and top position grappler, while Alex Enlund is a submission threat at all times, who was even slick enough to tap the Flowy one himself, Artem Lobov. Enlund actually held the Cage Warriors featherweight title before that organization went on its hiatus, and this is the type of matchup I would’ve expected to see for that title, but I’m fine with it happening in the UFC as well. I think Enlund is the more seasoned of the two and has faced the better competition, but with the styles I’d be more comfortable picking him in a 25-minute bout than 15. I still think he gets it done though.