The UFC has announced numerous new bouts over the last few weeks for its forthcoming pay-per-view cards that summer. Below are my thoughts on those new matchups.
Talita Bernardo vs. Melissa Gatto, UFC 237
Because of an injury to Jessica Rose Clark, Talita Bernardo will now meet UFC newcomer Melissa Gatto in a women’s bantamweight bout at UFC 237, taking place May 11 in Jeunesse Arena at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Bernardo (6-3) is currently 1-2 in the UFC and is coming off of a decision win over Sarah Moras. Gatto (6-0-2) is undefeated in her MMA career fighting on the Brazilian regional arena. Bernardo has not looked very good in the UFC and contemplating Gatto is just 22-years-old she is definitely someone to keep your eye when the odds for this battle come out. If she is the underdog she is worth a punt.
Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Alexa Grasso, UFC 238
A women’s strawweight bout between Karolina Kowalkiewicz and also Alexa Grasso is place for UFC 238, which takes place June 8 at United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The card features five women’s bouts in complete, including this particular fight.
Kowalkiewicz (12-4) is only 5-4 at the UFC and is coming off of back-to-back losses to Jessica Andrade and Michelle Waterson. She’s making a fast return to the Octagon as the struggle against Waterson took place just a couple of weeks ago, and she is probably in a must-win situation in this fight against Grasso at UFC 238. Grasso (10-2) is 2-2 at the UFC but hasn’t fought since last May when she was filed by Tatiana Suarez. The two Kowalkiewicz and Grasso have been solid-yet-flawed fighters, but based on her expertise I would guess Kowalkiewicz would be a slight favorite at open.
Diego Sanchez vs. Michael Chiesa, UFC 239
Welterweights Diego Sanchez and Michael Chiesa are scheduled to fight at UFC 239, occurring July 6 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Sanchez (29-11) is 18-11 all time inside the Octagon and is one of the longest-tenured fighters on the UFC roster and a future Hall of Famer. He moved up to welterweight this past year and has since gone 1-2 using a weight loss loss to Matt Brown followed by back-to-back wins over Craig White and Mickey Gall, who he just finished in catastrophic fashion. Chiesa (15-4) is 8-4 at the UFC and filed Carlos Condit in his welterweight debut in his final bout. Both Sanchez and Chiesa looked amazing in their last fights, but provided that Sanchez is 37 and has obtained a ton of damage during his career, you need to lean towards Chiesa here.
Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Jack Marshman, UFC 239
Middleweight prospect Edmen Shahbazyan returns at UFC 239 if he takes on Jack Marshman.
Shahbazyan (9-0) is only 21-years-old and is already 2-0 in the UFC with a knockout win over Charles Byrd and a split decision win over Darren Stewart. He’s one of the best young prospects at 185lbs and all but one of his career victories has come by knockout. Marshman (23-8) is 3-3 in the UFC and is coming from a controversial split decision win over John Phillips. Although Marshman is a good gateekeeper at 185lbs, Shahbazyan is the future of the division, and he’ll undoubtedly be a huge favorite heading into this bout.
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