UFC matchmakers Joe Silva and Sean Shelby were busy on Wednesday, as a number of new matchups were revealed to the fans. And for today’s MMA Odds and Ends, I’ll give my quick thoughts on all of them. Remember, all of my lines are based on my initial thoughts of these matchups and are not official lines by any means. Elias Silverio vs. Ernest Chavez, TUF Brazil 3 Finale The TUF Brazil 3 Finale got two new fight announcements yesterday, the first of which is a lightweight contest between Elias Silverio and Ernest Chavez. This seems like a really bad matchup for Chavez and I don’t see him having a path to victory here. Look for Silverio, who the UFC is grooming as a star in Brazil, to open up around -300 for this fight. Kevin Souza vs. Mark Eddiva, TUF Brazil 3 Finale The other fight announced for the TUF Brazil 3 Finale is a featherweight bout between Kevin Souza and Mark Eddiva. Like the Silverio vs. Chavez matchup, this is another fight designed to get the Brazilian a win on home soil. Look for Souza to enter this one as a -250 or so favorite. Krzysztof Jotko vs. Magnus Cedenblad, UFC Fight Night Berlin On the same day the TUF Brazil 3 Finale is happening, there is also a UFC Fight Night card in Berlin going down and one of the fights that has been announced for it is a middleweight bout between Krzysztof Jotko and Magnus Cedenblad. This is a pretty fair fight but I have to give the edge here to Cedenblad, who I believe will be around -150 or so in this spot. Yves Jabouin vs. Mike Easton, UFC 174 A bantamweight bout between Yves Jabouin and Mike Easton was added to UFC 174, which takes place in June in Vancouver. This is an exciting bout between two fighters who desperately need to pick up wins to stay in the UFC, but although Jabouin is fighting in front of his home fans, I still favor Easton in this spot and believe he should be about -200 or so, maybe even a bit higher. Michinori Tanaka vs. Roland Delorme, UFC 174 As well, a bantamweight bout between UFC newcomer Michinori Tanaka and Roland Delorme was added to UFC 174. Tanaka has been impressive in his career so far as he’s undefeated at 9-0, but Delorme is a tough veteran and I actually slightly favor him in this fight. Look for Delorme to be about -140 or so here, but don’t be surprised if the public bets on the youngster Tanaka based on his undefeated record. John Moraga vs. John Dodson, UFC Fight Night Albuquerque An exciting flyweight bout between top-ranked John Moraga and Dodson was added to UFC Fight Night Albuquerque. In the shallow, UFC flyweight division, the winner of this bout will be close to a rematch with champ Demetrious Johnson. This is actually a rematch as Moraga and Dodson have previously met on the regional circuit, where Dodson was able to eek out a close decision win over Moraga. Although both men have improved since then, Dodson has improved more and with all the hype behind him I’d expect him to be about a -250 favorite in this fight. Sergio Pettis vs. Yaotzin Meza, UFC Fight Night Albuquerque And finally, a bantamweight bout between Sergio Pettis and Yaotzin Meza was added to UFC Fight Night Albuquerque. This is a blowout matchup designed to get Pettis back on track, and there’s no doubt he’ll be a massive favorite heading into this one. Look for Pettis to open around -400 or possibly even higher for this bout, one that he should win via stoppage.
