The UFC today announced that the main event for the upcoming UFC on FOX 8 card will be none other than UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson taking on top contender John Moraga. The two meet in a five-round bout that headlines the July 27 network-televised event, which takes place at KeyArena in Seattle, WA, not far from Johnson’s fight camp in Kirkland, WA. This fight was supposed to take place at the TUF 17 Finale but an injury to Johnson forced it to be delayed. Still, expect Johnson to open as at least a -300 favorite (bet $300 to win $100), while Moraga will be at least a +250 underdog (bet $100 to win $250) and possibly even higher come fight night. Additionally, the promotion confirmed the Miesha Tate vs. Liz Carmouche matchup for the card, which also features welterweight bouts between Rory MacDonald and Jake Ellenberger and Tarec Saffiedine vs. Robbie Lawler, as well as a heavyweight matchup between former NFL players Matt Mitrione and Brendan Schaub. The Schaub vs. Mitrione line should be close to even as both fighters have clear paths to victory, with Mitrione likely winning via KO and Schaub winning by decision. Expect the line to pop up in the sports books in the near future. Silva Signs 10-Fight Deal With UFC UFC president Dana White today announced that middleweight champion and consensus No.1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world Anderson Silva has signed a new 10-fight deal with the organization. Silva has reeled off 16-straight victories inside the Octagon and has won his last 17 fights overall, with his last loss coming via DQ to Yushin Okami all the way back in January 2006. Since coming to the UFC, Silva has defeated stud fighters such as Rich Franklin, Dan Henderson, Chael Sonnen, Demian Maia, Chris Leben, Nate Marquardt, Vitor Belfort and Forrest Griffin, often with ease. He holds the UFC record with 10 defences of the middleweight title he won from Franklin back at UFC 64 and, despite being 38 years of age, looks better and better each and every fight. Silva’s next test comes in the form of Chris Weidman, as they two meet in a five-round bout at UFC 162 this July in Las Vegas. Silva is currently a -240 betting favorite at Several Bookmakers, while Weidman is a +200 underdog, although those lines will definitely change in the coming months. Parke vs. Tokudome Added To UFC 162 The UFC also announced another bout for UFC 162, a lightweight matchup between TUF Smashes winner Norman Parke and Kazuki Tokudome. The fight is expected to take place on the preliminary portion of what is shaping up to be one of the best cards of the year. Parke has a lot of hype behind him right now after winning TUF Smashes and considering he’s one of the only Irish fighters in the entire UFC, it’s obvious that they are trying to take their time with him by setting him up with a fairly easy assignment. Tokudome is pretty tough and looked sharp in his UFC debut against Cristiano Marcello, but he’s still one of the lower-ranked lightweights in the division. Expect Parke to open up as a healthy -175 favorite with the comeback on Tokduome being around +135 or so and possibly higher depending on how the public bets the line.
