Quite a few UFC heavyweights are reserved for upcoming bouts, and I’ll present my thoughts on these brand new matchups in the current MMA odds and ends.
Ben Rothwell vs. Blagoy Ivanov at March
Long-time heavvyweight contender Ben Rothwell will return to the Octagon when he chooses on Blagoy Ivanov in a yet-to-be-determined UFC event in March. MMA.bg first broke the news of this bout and Rothwell’s return into the Octagon. Rothwell (36-10) is 6-4 overall from the UFC dating back to 2009. He has fought only once per year, owing in part due to accidents and to drug suspensions. He has not fought since a decision loss to Junior dos Santos back in April 2016, and he had been suspended by USADA for two years after testing positive for prohibited substances. But before the reduction to JDS, Rothwell had won four fights in a row including a TKO win over Alistair Overeem. He should immediately jump back in the top-15 when he returns to the cage. Ivanov (16-2, 1 NC) also lost a choice to JDS in his final fight, which was his UFC debut. Prior to that he had won five straight fights in WSOF/PFL. I believe Ivanov will seem better than how he did against JDS, but I would still need to lean towards Rothwell here just due to his experience and success in the Octagon these years.
Junior dos Santos vs. Derrick Lewis, UFC Fight Night 146
Heavyweight contenders Junior dos Santos and Derrick Lewis are set to clash at UFC Fight Night 146, which is set for March 9 in Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas. MMAjunkie.com broke the information. JDS (20-5) had a excellent comeback year in 2018 with clear victories over Tai Tuivasa and Blagoy Ivanov. Lewis (21-6, 1 NC) is coming off of a submission reduction to Daniel Cormier in his failed bid to win the UFC heavyweight title, but had beaten Francis Ngannou and Alexander Volkov prior to that. This should be a top quality fight between two hard-hitting heavyweights, but JDS is the much more well-rounded fighter and that I expect him to be the favored here, though obviously Lewis has a puncher’s chance. I’d still expect JDS to be a 2-to-1 favorite here.
UFC Fight Night 146 vs. Daniel Spitz, jeff Hughes As well, top heavyweight prospect Jeff Hughes will make his Octagon debut against Daniel Spitz at UFC Fight Night 146. That the news was reported by the Nolan King of floCombat. Hughes (10-1) has won four straight fights including a KO win over Josh Appelt on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series for him signed into the UFC. Prior to this he’d been the LFA heavyweight champion, and his only career loss was a TKO defeat to Dan Spohn. Spitz (6-2) is currently 1-2 in the UFC with reductions to Walt Harris and Mark Godbeer along with also a TKO win to Anthony Hamilton. The UFC has booked Hughes a very winnable fight for his Octagon introduction here against a man like Spitz who does not appear to be UFC-caliber by any way. I would expect Hughes for a favored.
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