The UFC has been occupied announcing bouts for upcoming fight cards lately, 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 competition Josh Emmett will return from a lengthy layoff when he takes on Michael Johnson at UFC on ESPN 2, which takes place March 30 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ESPN broke news of this struggle. Emmett (13-2) is 4-2 at 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 but 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 off of back-to-back decision wins over Andre Fili and Artem Lobov. But he’d lost three consecutive fights before that. Though Johnson is inconsistent, we understand how good he is when he is at his finest, and with Emmett coming off of such a long layoff you have to fade him and favor Johnson to win this fight.
Ray Borg vs. Pingyuan Liu, UFC on ESPN two Ray Borg will proceed up to bantamweight when he takes on Pingyuan Liu in UFC on ESPN 2. The Philly Voice broke news. Borg (11-3) is currently 5-3 at the UFC but has not 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 today and it will be interesting to see whether 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. Though he’s moving up to bantamweight, there’s no doubt Borg is going to be a big favorite here only based on his UFC expertise and degree 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 in 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 you can’t ever be sure of the outcome, but I believe 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 fulfill 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 at the UFC and is coming from a TKO loss to Warlley Alves. Both men have been disappointments in the UFC, but Meek usually gets more respect from bettors and 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 declines to Uriah Hall and Brad Tavares. Kopylov (8-0) is making his UFC debut after going undefeated on the Russian regional scene. It’s difficult to back Jotko after his current win streak, and I anticipate the undefeated Kopylov are the favorite here.
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