MMA Odds and Ends for Friday: Changes Abound On UFC on FOX 7 Card

T.J. Dillashaw The upcoming UFC on FOX 7 card drew a few changes overnight that gamblers may want to keep an eye on. As we reported last night on MMAoddsbreaker.com, Dan Hardy was pulled from the upcoming UFC on FOX 7 card with a heart condition and in his place to fight Matt Brown on short notice is none other than Jordan Mein, the Canadian welterweight prospect who drew a wave of praise from fans and UFC president Dana White for his first-round thrashing of rugged veteran Dan Miller at last weekend’s UFC 158 event. The MMA odds for this fight haven’t been released yet but you can expect to see Mein open as a sizeable favorite, perhaps in the -250 range or even higher. And the other change that was made to the card was the addition of a bantamweight matchup between TJ Dillashaw and Hugo “Wolverine” Viana, a fight made possible when Francisco Rivera pulled out with an injury. Dillashaw, like Mein, picked up a huge knockout win at UFC 158, as he finished Issei Tamura with a knee and punches, and he’s decided to try to keep his momentum going when he takes on Viana, who made his bantamweight debut at the TUF 17 Finale in an amazing performance where he knocked out Reuben Duran in the first round. This matchup between Dillashaw and Viana is an excellent bout but you can expect Dillashaw to open around -200 or even higher due to his wrestling advantage. The UFC on FOX 7 card is definitely looking like one of the most stacked free TV cards the UFC has ever put on, with the headlining fight being a lightweight title fight between champion Benson Henderson and challenger Gilbert Melendez, and the co-headliner being a high-level heavyweight fight between contenders Daniel Cormier and Frank Mir. Additionally, Josh Thomson takes on Nate Diaz, Chad Mendes fights Darren Elkins, and Joseph Benavidez squares off against Darren Uyenoyama on one of the deepest undercards in recent memory. UFC on FOX 8 Date And Location Revealed The UFC announced today that UFC on FOX 8 will take place on July 27 at Key Arena in Seattle, Washington, USA. None of the fights on the card have been revealed yet, but it makes sense if UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, who trains in the Washington area, makes his next title defence against John Moraga. Johnson tweeted today saying he would like to be the headliner. Another option to main event the card is a five-round welterweight bout between Carlos Condit and Rory MacDonald. The two rivals were set to rematch at UFC 158, but after MacDonald pulled out with an injury Condit fought Johny Hendricks for the No. 1 contender position and ended up losing a close unanimous decision. Either way, expect the UFC to absolutely stack this next FOX card, because it seems every time they have a big fight card on the national TV network they always look to feature good, exciting fights featuring top-level fighters for free. Don’t be surprised if Alistair Overeem and/or Hector Lombard are also featured on this card.

Written by Adam Martin.

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