The UFC was busy announcing bouts for upcoming fight cards lately, and under are my thoughts on a few of the newly-announced bouts for UFC Philadelphia and UFC Russia.
Josh Emmett vs. Michael Johnson, UFC on ESPN 2 Featherweight competition Josh Emmett will come back from a long layoff when he takes on Michael Johnson in UFC on ESPN two, which takes place March 30 in Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ESPN broke news of the struggle. Emmett (13-2) is currently 4-2 at the UFC but has not fought because a brutal KO loss to Jeremy Stephens in February 2018. He rocketed up the ranks with a knockout win over Ricardo Lamas but the reduction to Stephens at which he broke his nose was a significant setback. Johnson (19-13) is 11-9 in the UFC and is coming off of back-to-back decision wins over Andre Fili and Artem Lobov. But he had lost three straight fights before that. Though Johnson is inconsistent, we know how great he is when he’s at his best, as well as Emmett coming off of such a lengthy layoff you need to fade him and prefer Johnson to win this fight.
Ray Borg vs. Pingyuan Liu, UFC on ESPN two Ray Borg will move up to bantamweight if he takes on Pingyuan Liu at UFC on ESPN 2. The Philly Voice broke news. Borg (11-3) is 5-3 in the UFC but has not fought since a submission reduction to Demetrious Johnson in October 2017. He was one of the greatest flyweights in the UFC but will soon probably be moving up to bantamweight now and it’s going to be intriguing to see if he could make a run in his new weight class. Liu (13-5) is riding a nine-fight win streak including a 2-0 mark at the Octagon with wins over Damian Stasiak and Martin Day. Though he’s moving up to bantamweight, there’s no doubt Borg is going to be a large favorite here only according to his UFC experience and level of competition.
Marcin Tybura vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov, UFC Fight Night 149
Heavyweights Marcin Tybura and Shamil Abdurakhimov will square off UFC Fight Night 149, set for April 20 at Yubileyny Sports Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia. Tybura (17-4) is 4-3 in the UFC and won a decision over Stefan Struve in his last outing. Abdurakhimov (19-4) is 4-2 in the UFC and is coming off of back-to-back wins over Andrei Arlovski and Chase Sherman. It’s heavyweight MMA so you can’t ever be sure of the outcome, but I believe Tybura is the better fighter and should be favored here.
Emil Weber Meek vs. Sultan Aliev, UFC Fight Night 149
Welterweights Emil Weber Meek and Sultan Aliev may even fulfill at UFC Fight Night 149. Meek (9-4, 1 NC) is 1-2 in the UFC and is coming off of consecutive losses to Kamaru Usman and Bartosz Fabinski. Aliev (14-3) is currently 1-2 at the UFC and is coming off of a TKO loss to Warlley Alves. Both guys have been disappointments in the UFC, but Meek generally gets more respect from bettors and I suppose he will be preferred here.
Krzysztof Jotko vs. Roman Kopylov, UFC Fight Night 149
And lastly, a middleweight bout will visit Krzysztof Jotko take on UFC newcomer Roman Kopylov at UFC Fight Night 149. Jotko (19-4) is 6-4 at the UFC however is driving a three-fight losing skid including back-to-back KO declines to Uriah Hall and Brad Tavares. Kopylov (8-0) is making his UFC debut after going undefeated in the Russian regional scene. It is hard to back Jotko following his current win streak, and I anticipate the undefeated Kopylov to be the favorite here.
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