A number of important fights for upcoming UFC cards were announced over the weekend, and I’ll give my thoughts on all of them in today’s MMA odds and ends.
Jimi Manuwa vs. Glover Teixeira, UFC Fight Night 137
The main event of UFC Fight Night 137 will be a five-round light heavyweight bout between Jimi Manuwa and Glover Teixeira. The UFC officially announced the bout at a recent press conference. The card takes place Saturday, September 22 at Ginasio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Manuwa (17-4) is coming off of back-to-back losses to Volkan Oezdemir and Jan Blachowicz but remains a devastating KO artist. Teixeira (27-7) is coming off of a surprising beatdown loss to Corey Anderson just a few weeks ago. Both guys are on the decline but I still view Teixeira as the more well-rounded fighter and he should be able to get the win.
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor, UFC 229
The UFC has also officially confirmed the worst-kept secret in MMA as the promotion revealed UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will defend his title against rival Conor McGregor at UFC 229, which goes down Saturday, October 6 at T-Mobile Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Nurmagomedov (26-0) is still undefeated and he’s coming off of a title fight win over Al Iaquinta. McGregor (21-3) has not competed in MMA for nearly two years but the last time we saw he he knocked out Eddie Alvarez. The odds are already out for this fight, with Nurmagomedov opening as a solid favorite. Expect a huge handle for this fight.
Dustin Poirier vs. Nate Diaz, UFC 230
An exciting lightweight bout between Dustin Poirier and Nate Diaz will serve as the co-main event of UFC 230, which takes place Saturday, November 3 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. Poirier (24-5, 1 NC) has knocked out his last three opponents including Eddie Alvarez just last week. Diaz (19-11) hasn’t fought in over two years since a decision loss to Conor McGregor. Both guys are tremendous fighters but based on the fact Poirier has rightfully opened up as a solid 2-1 favorite.
Derek Brunson vs. Israel Adesanya, UFC 230
Also offically announced for UFC 230 is a middleweight grudge match between Derek Brunson and Israel Adesanya. Brunson (18-6) is coming off of a KO loss to Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. Adesanya (14-0) is one of the hottest talents in MMA and just beat Brad Tavares in his last fight. As expected, Adesanya has opened up as a big favorite for this one based off of all the hype.
Lyman Good vs. Sultan Aliev, UFC 230
Finally, a welterweight bout between Lyman Good and Sultan Aliev will take place at UFC 230. This bout was reported by Mark LaMonica of Newsday. Good (19-4, 1 NC) is coming off of a decision loss to rising contender Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in a fight that was over a year ago. Aliev (14-3) was knocked out by Warlley Alves in his last fight. It’s a fight between two guys who rarely fight and who haven’t looked too good in a while, but I’d have to favor Good just based on his pedigree in the sport.
