The UFC has been busy announcing bouts for upcoming fight cards lately, and under are my ideas on some of those 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 if he takes on Michael Johnson in UFC on ESPN 2, which takes place March 30 in Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ESPN broke news of this struggle. Emmett (13-2) is 4-2 in the UFC but hasn't fought because a brutal KO loss to Jeremy Stephens in February 2018. He rocketed up the ranks with a knockout win over Ricardo Lamas however, the loss to Stephens where he broke his nose was a big setback. Johnson (19-13) is 11-9 in the UFC and is coming from back-to-back decision wins over Andre Fili and Artem Lobov. But he'd lost three straight fights before that. Although Johnson is inconsistent, we know how good he is when he is at his best, as well as Emmett coming from such a lengthy layoff you need to fade him and prefer Johnson to win this battle.
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 the news. Borg (11-3) is currently 5-3 in the UFC but hasn't fought since a submission reduction to Demetrious Johnson in October 2017. He was among the best flyweights from 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 in the Octagon with wins over Damian Stasiak and Martin Day. Even though he is moving up to bantamweight, there is no doubt Borg is going to be a big favorite here just based on his UFC experience and degree 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 at the UFC and chose over Stefan Struve in his last outing. Abdurakhimov (19-4) is currently 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 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 even fulfill at UFC Fight Night 149. Meek (9-4, 1 NC) is currently 1-2 at the UFC and is coming off of consecutive declines to Kamaru Usman and Bartosz Fabinski. Aliev (14-3) is 1-2 in the UFC and is coming from a TKO loss to Warlley Alves. Both guys are disappointments in the UFC, but Meek generally gets more respect from bettors and I assume he will 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 in the UFC but 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 after his current win series, and I expect the undefeated Kopylov to be the preferred here.
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