Last week, we have news that UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was cleared by the Nevada State Athletic Commission to fight Anthony Smith. The UFC made that fight official on the weekend, and the March 2 event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada is now a go with all the GOAT looking to defend his name in the main event.
Besides the affirmation of Jones vs. Smith, a few other struggles for UFC 235 were also revealed over the weekend, and I’ll give my initial thoughts on these brand new matchups in today’s MMA odds and ends.
UFC 235 vs. Marlon Vera, frankie Saenz Due to an accident to Thomas Almeida, veteran Frankie Saenz is stepping up on short notice to fight the slumping Marlon Vera at a bantamweight bout at UFC 235. Ariel Helwani of ESPN broke the information. Saenz (13-5) is 5-2 overall from the UFC and is coming from back-end decision wins over Henry Briones and Merab Dvalishvili. At one point it seemed like he may get cut from the UFC after enduring a three-fight losing skid, but he’s bounced back nicely since then. At age 38, this can be the last chance he has to make a title run.
Vera (12-5-1) is only 6-4-1 from the UFC but he has fought a high level of competition inside the Octagon and his album does not do justice to the type of fighter he is. Vera is coming from back-to-back stoppage wins Guido Cannetti and Wuliji Buren and at age 26 is starting to really come into his own as a fighter. No doubt Vera is going to be looking to keep this fight with Saenz around the feet while Saenz will be searching for the takedown. Although Saenz is a crafty veteran and will likely make this fight more competitive than the lineup will imply, it is hard to go from the younger Vera and I expect him to be a sizeable preferred for the win.
Charles Byrd vs. Edmen Shahbazyan, UFC 235
Middleweights Charles Byrd and Edmen Shahbazyan are set to battle at UFC 235 too. This fight is official as per the UFC. Byrd (10-5) had an excellent UFC debut last spring when he filed John Phillips at the first round at UFC Fight Night 127. He was a gambling favorite for his next battle against Darren Stewart at UFC 228, however following a strong first round that he faded badly and has been brutally knocked out. At age 35, Byrd seems to be more of a gatekeeper rather than a late-blooming competition that some thought he might be after his successful stint on the Contender Series.
Shahbazyan (8-0) was undefeated heading to his UFC debut with all his wins coming by first-round knockout, but fought in a split decision win over the aforementioned Stewart. He’d get the nod and at age 21 should learn a lot from that fight, but he showed a lot of holes against Stewart that a veteran like Byrd may exploit. I would still need to favor Shahbazyan somewhat just because of the age difference and the knockout power, but I’ve a feeling this fight will be more aggressive than many want to believe.
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