UFC Fight Night 31: Fight for the Troops 3 Date: October 19, 2013 Arena: Fort Campbell City: Fort Campbell, K.Y. Middleweight bout: Ronny Markes (+160) vs Yoel Romero (-185) Fight Breakdown: The UFC Fight for the Troops 3 main card will feature a middleweight brawl between a Brazilian and a Cuban when Ronny Markes takes on Yoel Romero. Markes is the underdog in this bout at +160 ($100 to win $160), while Romero is the favorite at -185 ($185 to win $100) at Several Bookmakerss. RONNY MARKES (14-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) was set to face Derek Brunson back in June, but the fight was canceled due to Markes being involved in a car accident on the day of the weigh-ins. After five months, he returns to the Octagon looking to build on his seven fight win streak. Markes is a very impressive grinder, and the fact that he is quite big for the middleweight division benefits him in that department. He is good at working opponents against the cage and tiring them out, though the Brazilian himself does not have very good conditioning, especially at 185 pounds. His striking is not very good, but his wrestling is solid, as he works decent takedowns and doesn’t have much trouble controlling opponents on the mat. YOEL ROMERO (5-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is coming off an incredibly impressive first round knockout over Clifford Starks in his promotional debut. It was his first fight in over a year and a half, and people were questioning whether he would look good or not. Needless to say, he shut all doubters up with beautiful flying knee. Romero is a decorated wrestler who represented his country of Cuba in the 2000 Summer Olympics. It goes without saying that he is incredibly talented on the mat. He works solid takedowns and easily controls opponents while seriously punishing them. He is excellent on the feet, as well, as was evident in his promotional debut. The main question mark for me is his conditioning. I don’t know if he will gas or not. That’s not that big of a concern, though, as his opponent has his own issues with cardio. Training out of American Top Team in Coconut Creek, F.L., Romero looks to build on his impressive debut, and go on a run in the UFC’s middleweight division. Fight Prediction: I think Markes will try to grapple but won’t find much success against the Olympic level wrestler in Romero. I see Romero defending takedowns and eventually stopping Markes. Gabe’s Pick: Yoel Romero by KO (punches, 2:13 round 1) Gabe’s Recommended Plays: Yoel Romero (-185) for 3.5u, Markes in Round 2 (+1700) for 0.5u, Markes in Round 3 (+1975) for 1u
