The UFC is led back into the City of Brotherly Love after this month, and a couple fights are added on short notice. UFC on ESPN two happens March 30 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and my initial thoughts on those new bouts are below.
Kevin Holland vs. Gerald Meerschaert, UFC on ESPN 2 Middleweights Kevin Holland Gerald Meerschaert are set to battle at UFC on ESPN 2 in what ought to be an enjoyable battle for the fans. The Philly Voice broke news. Holland (13-4) fell a choice to Thiago Santos in his UFC debut but rebounded nicely with a submission win over John Phillips. In general, he has won five of the last six fights. Meerschaert (28-10) is currently 4-2 at the UFC but is coming from a submission loss to Jack Hermansson. Both Holland and Meerschaert are extremely underrated and exciting fighters in middleweight, but awarded Holland’s childhood and physiological advantages in this fight, I’d make him the favorite here.
Ray Borg vs. Kyler Phillips, UFC on ESPN two Due to an injury to Pingyuan Liu, Ray Borg now meets short-notice replacement competitor Kyler Phillips in a bantamweight bout. Borg (11-3) is 5-3 overall in the UFC but has not fought since a submission reduction to Demetrious Johnson at October 2017. He’s dealt with a lot in his young career and hopefully he can put the past behind him. Phillips (6-1) is making his UFC debut after picking up a head kick KO in LFA only a few weeks ago. He is a veteran of the Contender Series and looks like a very promising prospect, however, he lacks the UFC encounter that Borg has. I believe Phillips has a chance to win this particular fight, but you still have to prefer Borg.
Alex Perez vs. Mark de la Rosa, UFC on ESPN two Moving up from flyweight to bantamweight is Alex Perez, and he will take on Mark de la Rosa. Perez (21-5) won his first three UFC fights before getting knocked out by Joseph Benavidez in his last outing. Prior to this, he was riding an eight-fight win streak. De la Rosa (11-1) is 2-1 at the UFC and his spouse Montana de la Rosa is having a lot of success from the Octagon, but the fact he struggled at a narrow split decision win over Joby Sanchez was troubling. Like most bantamweight bouts, this ought to be competitive, but I would still prefer Perez to get his hand raised.
John Makdessi vs. Jesus Pinedo, UFC Fight Night 148
Due to accidents Chris Gruetzemacher and Nasrat Haqparast, their original opponents John Makdessi and Jesus Pinedo will now fight at UFC Fight Night 148, taking place March 23 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Considering both guys are lightweights who only lost their competitions, this was the way to keep both men on the card. Makdessi (16-6) is 9-6 at the UFC and is coming off of back-to-back wins over Ross Pearson and Abel Trujillo. Pinedo (16-4-1) is on a seven-fight win streak and conquer Devin Powell by choice within his UFC debut. Makdessi includes a ton of experience in the Octagon however Pinedo is just 22-years-old and seems like a great prospect. I would expect a close lineup here but given Pinedo’s youth and upside down he’s most likely the drama in this .
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