The UFC yesterday revealed the official bout order for UFC Fight Night 39, which takes place April 11 in Abu Dhabi. Here it is below. Main Card:
- Roy Nelson vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
- Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Clay Guida
- Ryan LaFlare vs. John Howard
- Beneil Dariush vs. Ramsey Nijem
Prelims:
- Jared Rosholt vs. Daniel Omielanczuk
- Johnny Bedford vs. Rani Yahya
- Thales Leites vs. Trevor Smith
- Andrew Craig vs. Chris Camozzi
- Dustin Ortiz vs. Alp Ozkelic
- Jim Alers vs. Alan Omar
Overall I think this is one of the weaker cards of the year in terms of name value and relevant matchups, but keep in mind it’s on Fight Pass so it’s to be expected that the card is thinner. Still, there’s some pretty good fights slated for the event. The main event heavyweight bout between Nelson and Nogueira could turn into a fun brawl, while the co-main event fight between Kawajiri and Guida has FOTN written all over it. I also really dig the LaFlare vs. Howard and Craig vs. Camozzi matchups. Keep in mind this card takes place on Friday in North America, which is a rarity for a UFC event, so make plans to stay at home from work and catch the fights soon if you’re a hardcore MMA fan and can’t stand to miss a live event. UFC Fight Night 40 Card Complete With Addition of 13th bout The UFC yesterday announced a welterweight matchup between Albert Tumenov and Anthony Lapsley will take place at UFC Fight Night 40. That’s the 13th bout confirmed for the May 10 event, meaning the lineup for that card is now complete. Regarding this matchup between Tumenov and Lapsley, it’s obvious the UFC wants Tumenov to win and get on track in the Octagon after losing his debut to Ildemar Alcantara last month at UFC Fight Night 36. Just 22, the young Russian has a lot of potential and the UFC is giving him a very winnable fight here as his opponent Lapsley, while a veteran, isn’t an elite fighter and is getting up there in age. However, just because the UFC would like to see Tumenov win doesn’t mean he will, and this fight could potentially be interesting depending on how it plays out. Still, I expect Tumenov to be the favorite when the line opens, probably at 2-to-1 or a bit higher. Lapsley is a game opponent though and I expect him to hang in tough against the Russian prospect, but I do think Tumenov will win this fight as he gets that illusive first victory in the Octagon.