UFC PRAGUE GETS NEW FIGHTS INCLUDING VERONICA MACEDO VS. GILLIAN ROBERTSON
UFC Prague (UFC Fight Night 145) is set to take place February 23 in The O2 Arena in the capital city of the Czech Republic. The principal event of this card is a light heavyweight bout between Thiago Santos and Jan Blachowicz, and now the UFC is starting to fill out the card by announcing each one the preliminary bouts. Four new prelims are shown for the card (along with those mention in previous posts here), and here are my thoughts on the newest bouts in the current MMA odds and ends.
Veronica Macedo vs. Gillian Robertson, UFC Fight Night 145
The first new bout of course is a women’s flyweight matchup between Veronica Macedo and Gillian Robertson. Nolan King of FloCombat broke the new. Macedo (5-2-1) is 0-2 at the UFC but set up a spirited effort in a decision loss to Andrea Lee that won her a share of”Battle of the Night.” Robertson (5-3) is 2-1 in the UFC, with all her struggles ending in entry lose or win. Both women are in desperate need of a victory, and this battle could go either way. I would slightly lean towards Robertson since she’s fought a higher level of competition, but it is close.
Carlo Pedersoli Jr. vs. Dwight Grant, UFC Fight Night 145
Then we have a welterweight bout between Carlo Pedersoli Jr. and Dwight Grant. Sherdog broke the news. Pedersoli Jr. (11-2) opened his UFC career using a split decision win over Brad Scott but endured a fast KO loss to Alex Oliveira his last time out. Grant (8-2) is coming from a split decision loss to Zak Ottow in his final struggle. Both guys have a whole lot to prove but I believe Pedersoli Jr. is a better fighter based on what we’ve seen in the UFC and Cage Warriors and I would prefer him .
Magomed Ankalaev vs. Klidson Farias de Abreu, UFC Fight Night 145
Following a few other competitions dropped through, Magomed Ankalaev will go back to the Octagon from UFC newcomer Klidson Farias de Abreu. Ankalaev (9-1) suffered a catastrophic entry loss to Paul Craig in his UFC debut but bounced back well with a TKO win over Marcin Prachnio in his last struggle. Abreu (14-2) is riding a six-fight win streak into this contest and 16 of his wins have finished within the distance. I wouldn’t feel comfortable putting enormous juice on Ankalaev after what occurred in the Craig fight, but on paper he should have the benefit in this particular one. Having said that, if Abreu is a huge underdog like Craig was, maybe he could be worth taking a flier on.
Damir Ismagulov vs. Joel Alvarez, UFC Fight Night 145
And finally added into the card is a welterweight bout between Damir Ismagulov and Joel Alvarez. MMADNA broke the news. Ismagulov (17-2) is riding a 12-fight win streak and won a decision over Alex Gorgees in his UFC debut. Alvarez (15-1) is a veteran of the Spanish regional scene and has finished all 15 of his professional victories. Alvarez resembles a solid prospect but Ismagulov is on a whole other level and I would peg him as a big favorite to win this fight.
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