Last weekend, Max Holloway asserted his dominance over Jose Aldo once again, solidifying his spot as the top featherweight in the world. With Frankie Edgar on the shelf due to a fractured orbital, that leaves Holloway without a clear cut challenger for his title. Some upcoming bouts over the next few weeks could help clarify things in that regard. The first is the main event of UFC Fight Night 123, where fourth-ranked Cub Swanson takes on undefeated sixth-ranked Brian Ortega. An impressive performance from either could lift them to a title shot. Swanson would be on a five-fight winning streak dating back to his April 2015 loss to Holloway, while Ortega would move to 13-0 in his career, including 5-0 (1 NC) in the UFC. Each of Ortega’s victories has also come by stoppage (all in the third round, as well), meaning that Holloway may not have the cardio edge which usually provides him an advantage in every fight.
Should this card’s main event somehow turn into a dud, third-ranked Ricardo Lamas is in action on UFC on Fox 26 a week later, and while his opponent has changed from Aldo to Emmett, the circumstances of the division seem to provide him an easier route to a title shot. Regardless of the outcomes over the next couple of cards, the featherweight picture should be much clearer heading into the new year.
Keeping with the featherweight theme, the co-main event of Fight Night 123 is also at 145 pounds, as Jason Knight faces Gabriel Benitez. Both Knight and Benitez are coming off of losses in their last outings, however Knight was one of the hottest featherweights in the UFC prior to his defeat at the hands of Lamas, winning four straight.
Also on the main card, Marlon Moraes will be stepping in on short notice (for the injured Rani Yahya) to face Aljamain Sterling. Following back-to-back losses, Sterling has shown major improvements in his game in victories over Augusto Mendes and Renan Barao. Moraes has had some of the more difficult matchmaking of anyone coming into the UFC, as he was welcomed to the bantamweight division in tough fought bouts against Raphael Assuncao and John Dodson, both of which went to split decision, with Moraes going 1-1.
The rest of the main card is a mixed bag. Scott Holtzman squares off with Darrell Horcher, in Horcher’s obligatory “Thanks for fighting Khabib” booking, Eryk Anders looks to build off of his impressive debut as he welcomes fellow undefeated prospect Markus Perez to the UFC in a battle of LFA middleweight champions, and Benito Lopez becomes the latest Tuesday Night Contenders vet to make the jump to the UFC as he faces Albert Morales.
Five of the seven preliminary bouts on Fight Night 123 are at either 125 or 135 pounds, which could make for some quality action early in the night. The top spot on the prelims goes to two women who might not be viewed as top contenders at the moment, but would arguably be favorites if they were to face off with the newly crowned women’s flyweight champion. Former bantamweight title challengers Alexis Davis and Liz Carmouche both make the move down to 125 in an attempt to kickstart a run to a title shot.
After being on the shelf for nine months, Luke Sanders seems like he’ll finally make it to the cage against the third opponent he’s been scheduled to face in the past three months. After Felipe Arantes and Bryan Caraway couldn’t make their dates with him, Andre Soukhamthath stepped up on short notice to fill the void. Also at bantamweight, Frankie Saenz takes on newcomer Merab Dvalishvili. The final entry of the night at 135 has Iuri Alcantara going up against Alejandro Perez.
The remainder of the card features another Tuesday Night vet, Alex Perez, against the man who can’t decide what fast food he wants, Carls John de Tomas; Chris Gruetzemacher and Davi Ramos at lightweight, and undefeated Trevin Giles getting the evening started against Antonio Braga Neto, who seems to be modelling his fight schedule after Khabib’s.
MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas had previously opened the betting odds for the main card of Fight Night 123 at Several Bookmakers, and today he completed the full slate with the seven aformentioned preliminary bouts. Keep reading for all of the opening numbers:
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UFC Fight Night 123: Swanson vs. Ortega
DECEMBER 9, 2017
Save Mart Center | Fresno, California
Main Card – (FS1, 10PM ET)
Brian Ortega -110
Cub Swanson -130
Over 2.5 -190
Under 2.5 +150
–
Gabriel Benitez +180
Jason Knight -260
Over 2.5 -180
Under 2.5 +140
–
Aljamain Sterling +135
Marlon Moraes -175
Over 2.5 -280
Under 2.5 +200
–
Scott Holtzman -105
Darrell Horcher -135
Over 2.5 -180
Under 2.5 +140
–
Markus Perez +235
Eryk Anders -315
Over 2.5 -130
Under 2.5 -110
–
Albert Morales +100
Benito Lopez -140
Over 2.5 -170
Under 2.5 +130
–
Preliminary Card – (FS1, 8PM ET)
Liz Carmouche -140
Alexis Davis +100
Over 2.5 -230
Under 2.5 +170
–
Andre Soukhamthath +200
Luke Sanders -280
Over 2.5 -190
Under 2.5 +150
–
Carls John de Tomas +180
Alex Perez -260
Over 2.5 -135
Under 2.5 -105
–
Frankie Saenz +110
Merab Dvalishvili -150
Over 2.5 -210
Under 2.5 +160
–
Preliminary Card – (UFC Fight Pass, 6:30PM ET)
Alejandro Perez +160
Iuri Alcantara -210
Over 2.5 -130
Under 2.5 -110
–
Chris Gruetzemacher +140
Davi Ramos -180
Over 2.5 -190
Under 2.5 +150
–
Antonio Braga Neto +145
Trevin Giles -185
Over 2.5 -130
Under 2.5 +110
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