UFC PHILADELPHIA AND UFC RUSSIA SHAPING UP
The UFC has been occupied announcing bouts for upcoming fight cards in recent weeks, and below are my ideas on a few of the 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 lengthy layoff if 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 the fight. Emmett (13-2) is 4-2 in the UFC but has not 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 loss to Stephens at which 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. However, he’d lost three straight fights prior to that. Although Johnson is inconsistent, we understand how great 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 if he takes on Pingyuan Liu in UFC on ESPN 2. The Philly Voice broke news. Borg (11-3) is 5-3 in the UFC but has not fought since a submission loss to Demetrious Johnson in October 2017. He was among the greatest flyweights from the UFC but will probably be moving up to bantamweight today and it’s going to be intriguing 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. Even though he is going up to bantamweight, there is no doubt Borg will be a large 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 in Yubileyny Sports Palace at St. Petersburg, Russia. Tybura (17-4) is 4-3 at the UFC and won a decision over Stefan Struve in his final outing. Abdurakhimov (19-4) is 4-2 at the UFC and is coming from back-to-back wins over Andrei Arlovski and Chase Sherman. It is heavyweight MMA so that you can never be certain of the result, but I believe Tybura is the better fighter and should be preferred here.
Emil Weber Meek vs. Sultan Aliev, UFC Fight Night 149
Welterweights Emil Weber Meek and Sultan Aliev will even meet at UFC Fight Night 149. Meek (9-4, 1 NC) is currently 1-2 at the UFC and is coming from successive losses 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 usually gets more respect from bettors and I assume he’ll be preferred here.
Krzysztof Jotko vs. Roman Kopylov, UFC Fight Night 149
And lastly, a middleweight bout will see Krzysztof Jotko take on UFC newcomer Roman Kopylov in UFC Fight Night 149. Jotko (19-4) is 6-4 at the UFC but 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 in the Russian regional scene. It’s hard to back Jotko following his current win series, and I anticipate the undefeated Kopylov are the favorite here.
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