UFC FT. LAUDERDALE CARD UPDATES INCLUDING ALEX OLIVEIRA VS. MIKE PERRY
UFC Ft. Lauderdale is set to take place April 27 in BB&T Center, and the major event was expected to be a five-round middleweight bout between Yoel Romero and Ronaldo”Jacare” Souza. Regrettably, Romero has pulled out with trauma and the UFC is scrambling to get a new opponent for Souza. A few other bouts on the card have also seen changes happen, and I will give my first thoughts on them below.
Alex Oliveira vs. Mike Perry, UFC on ESPN 3
An exciting welterweight bout between Alex Oliveira and Mike Perry will take place at UFC on ESPN 3. ESPN first broke the news that Perry is filling in on short notice for the wounded Li Jingliang.
Oliveira (19-6-1, two NC) is currently 9-4, 1 NC at the UFC and is coming off of a brutal submission reduction to Gunnar Nelson in his last fight. He is constantly in exciting fights win-or-lose, but is lacking that signature success and has not yet proven he can take the next step in to contender status. Perry (12-4) includes a 5-4 record in the UFC but has been submitted by Donald Cerrone in his last fight. Most of us know he’s got power, but he hasn’t shown much else apart from his hitting power. This one can go either way as both guys are offensively talented however defensively flawed. I’d have to prefer Oliveira as he’s better on the ground, but Perry is certainly live in this battle together with his KO power.
Carla Esparza vs. Virna Jandiroba, UFC on ESPN 3
Because of an accident to Livia Renata Souza, Carla Esparza will now face Virna Jandiroba at a women’s strawweight bout. Combate broke the news. Esparza (13-6) is the former UFC women’s strawweight champion and has a 4-4 record overall in the Octagon, including a TKO loss to Tatiana Suarez in her final outing. Jandiroba (14-0) was the Invicta women’s strawweight champion after going 3-0 in the advertising. Esparza will probably be favored due to getting more UFC expertise, but the unbeaten Jandiroba is completely a live dog in this fight.
Ben Saunders vs. Takashi Sato, UFC on ESPN 3
Also added to UFC on ESPN 3 is a welterweight bout between Ben Saunders and Takashi Sato. Asian MMA broke the information. Saunders (22-11-2) is just 2-4 in his third stint at the UFC, and is now coming from back-to-back stoppage declines to Lyman Good and Sergio Moraes. He appears to be on rather the decrease. Sato (14-2) is a Pancrase vet who won his last fight, but overall looks like a suspicious signing by the UFC. Given Saunders is out of Florida, possibly the UFC believes they’re giving him a winnable fight here, but Sato could surprise and receive the knockout win.
Gilbert Burns vs. Eric Wisely, UFC on ESPN 3
Lightweights Gilbert Burns and Eric Wisely are place to meet. Combate had the information. Burns (14-3) is 7-3 in the UFC and is coming off of a decision win over Olivier Aubin-Mercier. Wisely (30-9-1) is making his return to the Octagon after going unbeaten over his last nine fights on the regional circuit. He had one previous stint in the UFC back in 2012, when he went 0-2. This is a weird fight, and the one thing I can imagine is that no one desired to combat Burns, that I anticipate to be a huge favorite to defeat Wisely.
Roosevelt Roberts vs. Thomas Gifford, UFC on ESPN 3
And finally, lightweights Roosevelt Roberts and Thomas Gifford will meet at UFC on ESPN 3. Roberts (7-0) has finished all of his pro fights including a submission win over Darrell Horcher in his UFC debut. Gifford (14-7, 2 NC) is making his UFC debut after moving undefeated over his final five bouts on the regional circuit. Gifford appears to be a decent prospect but Roosevelt has proven he can win in the UFC and I expect him to become favored quite heavily in this one.
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