MMA ODDS AND ENDS FOR WEDNESDAY: HIGH-PROFILE UFC HEAVYWEIGHTS BACK IN ACTION

A number of UFC heavyweights are booked for upcoming bouts, and I’ll give my thoughts on those brand new matchups in today’s 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 at a yet-to-be-determined UFC event in March. MMA.bg first broke the news of the bout and Rothwell’s return to the Octagon. Rothwell (36-10) is 6-4 overall from the UFC dating back to 2009. He’s fought on average only once a year, owing in part due to injuries and to drug suspensions. He has not fought because a decision loss to Junior dos Santos back in April 2016, after which he was suspended by USADA for 2 years after testing positive for banned substances. However, before the reduction to JDS, Rothwell had won four fights in a row such as a TKO win over Alistair Overeem. He should immediately jump back in the top-15 if he returns into the cage. Ivanov (16-2, 1 NC) also lost a decision to JDS in his last struggle, which had been his UFC debut. Prior to that he’d won five straight struggles in WSOF/PFL. I think Ivanov will seem better than how he did against JDS, but I’d still need to lean Rothwell here just because of his expertise and success in the Octagon all 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 at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas. MMAjunkie.com broke the news. JDS (20-5) had a great comeback year in 2018 with clear victories over Tai Tuivasa and Blagoy Ivanov. Lewis (21-6, 1 NC) is coming off of a submission loss to Daniel Cormier in his failed bid to win the UFC heavyweight title, but had beaten Francis Ngannou and Alexander Volkov before that. This should be a top quality battle between two hard-hitting heavyweights, but JDS is the much more well-rounded fighter and that I expect him to be the favorite here, though obviously Lewis has a puncher’s chance. I would still anticipate JDS to be a 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 in UFC Fight Night 146. That the news was reported by floCombat’s Nolan King. Hughes (10-1) has won four straight fights such as a KO win over Josh Appelt on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series for him signed to the UFC. Prior to that he had been the LFA heavyweight champion, and his lone career loss was a TKO defeat to Dan Spohn. Spitz (6-2) is 1-2 at the UFC with losses to Walt Harris and Mark Godbeer and a TKO win to Anthony Hamilton. The UFC has booked Hughes that a very winnable fight for his Octagon debut here against a guy like Spitz who does not appear to be UFC-caliber by any means. I would expect Hughes for a giant favorite to win this battle.
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