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. Unfortunately, Romero has pulled out with trauma and the UFC is trying to find a new opponent for Souza. A few other bouts on the card also have seen changes happen, and I’ll give my initial thoughts on them below.
Alex Oliveira vs. Mike Perry, UFC on ESPN 3
An exciting welterweight bout between Alex Oliveira and Mike Perry will happen 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 9-4, 1 NC at the UFC and is coming from a brutal entry loss to Gunnar Nelson in his last fight. He is constantly in exciting fights win-or-lose, but is lacking that touch victory and hasn’t yet demonstrated he can take another step in to contender status. Perry (12-4) has a 5-4 record in the UFC but has been submitted by Donald Cerrone in his final struggle. We all know he has got power, however he has not shown much else apart from his hitting power. This one could go either way as both men are talented yet defensively flawed. I’d have to favor Oliveira as he’s better on the ground, but Perry is certainly reside in this fight together with his KO power.
Carla Esparza vs. Virna Jandiroba, UFC on ESPN 3
Due to an accident to Livia Renata Souza, Carla Esparza will now face Virna Jandiroba in 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 total from the Octagon, such as a TKO loss to Tatiana Suarez in her last outing. Jandiroba (14-0) was the Invicta women’s strawweight champion after going 3-0 in the advertising. Esparza will likely be favored because of having more UFC expertise, but the unbeaten Jandiroba is completely a live dog in this fight.
Ben Saunders vs. Takashi Sato, UFC on ESPN 3
Additionally 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 only 2-4 in his third stint in the UFC, and is now coming from back-to-back stoppage declines to Lyman Good and Sergio Moraes. He looks to be on quite the decline. Sato (14-2) is a Pancrase vet who won his last struggle, but overall looks like a suspicious signing by the UFC. Given Saunders is from Florida, possibly the UFC believes they are giving him a winnable battle here, but Sato may surprise and receive the knockout win.
Gilbert Burns vs. Eric Wisely, UFC on ESPN 3
Lightweights Gilbert Burns and Eric Wisely are set 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 in the regional circuit. He had one previous stint in the UFC back in 2012, when he went 0-2. This is a bizarre fight, and the only thing I can imagine is that nobody desired to fight Burns, that I expect to be a massive 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 completed all his pro fights including a submission win over Darrell Horcher within his UFC debut. Gifford (14-7, two NC) is making his UFC debut after going undefeated over his last five bouts in the regional circuit. Gifford seems like a good possibility but Roosevelt has proven he can win in the UFC and I expect him to become favored quite heavily in this one.
Disclaimer: This page includes affiliate links and MMA Odds Breaker is going to be paid if you make a purchase after clicking on the links.
Read more: mindingthe.net
