The UFC was busy announcing bouts for upcoming fight cards in recent weeks, and under are my thoughts on some of those newly-announced bouts for UFC Philadelphia and UFC Russia.
Josh Emmett vs. Michael Johnson, UFC on ESPN 2 Featherweight contender Josh Emmett will return from a long layoff when he takes on Michael Johnson in UFC on ESPN two, which takes place March 30 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ESPN broke news of this struggle. Emmett (13-2) is currently 4-2 at the UFC but hasn’t fought since a brutal KO loss to Jeremy Stephens in February 2018. He rocketed up the ranks with a knockout win over Ricardo Lamas however, the reduction to Stephens where 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. However, he had lost three straight fights before that. Though Johnson is inconsistent, we know how good he is when he is at his best, and with Emmett coming off of such a long layoff you have to fade him here and prefer Johnson to win this battle.
Ray Borg vs. Pingyuan Liu, UFC on ESPN 2 Ray Borg will move up to bantamweight when he chooses on Pingyuan Liu at UFC on ESPN 2. The Philly Voice broke news. Borg (11-3) is currently 5-3 in the UFC but has not fought since a submission loss to Demetrious Johnson in October 2017. He was among the best flyweights in the UFC but will soon probably be moving up to bantamweight now and it’s going to be interesting to see if he can 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 going up to bantamweight, there’s no doubt Borg is going to be a big favorite here just based on 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 at UFC Fight Night 149, set for April 20 at Yubileyny Sports Palace at St. Petersburg, Russia. Tybura (17-4) is 4-3 at the UFC and chose over Stefan Struve in his last outing. Abdurakhimov (19-4) is currently 4-2 at the UFC and is coming from back-to-back wins over Andrei Arlovski and Chase Sherman. It’s heavyweight MMA so that you can’t ever be certain of the outcome, but I think 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 also meet at UFC Fight Night 149. Meek (9-4, 1 NC) is currently 1-2 in the UFC and is coming off of consecutive declines to Kamaru Usman and Bartosz Fabinski. Aliev (14-3) is currently 1-2 in the UFC and is coming off of a TKO loss to Warlley Alves. Both guys are disappointments in the UFC, but Meek generally gets more respect from bettors and that I suppose he’ll be preferred here.
Krzysztof Jotko vs. Roman Kopylov, UFC Fight Night 149
And finally, a middleweight bout will see Krzysztof Jotko take on UFC newcomer Roman Kopylov at UFC Fight Night 149. Jotko (19-4) is 6-4 at the UFC however is riding a three-fight losing skid including back-to-back KO losses to Uriah Hall and Brad Tavares. Kopylov (8-0) is making his UFC debut after going undefeated on the Russian regional arena. It’s difficult to back Jotko after his recent win series, and I anticipate the undefeated Kopylov to be the favorite here.
Disclaimer: This page contains affiliate links and MMA Odds Breaker will be paid if you make a purchase after clicking on the hyperlinks.

Read more: attworldnews.com