UFC Prague (UFC Fight Night 145) is set to take place February 23 at The O2 Arena at the capital city of the Czech Republic. The main event of the card is a light heavyweight bout between Thiago Santos and Jan Blachowicz, and the UFC is beginning to fill the card out 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 very first new bout of mention is that a women’s flyweight matchup involving Veronica Macedo and Gillian Robertson. Nolan King of all 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”Fight of the evening .” Robertson (5-3) is 2-1 in the UFC, together with all her struggles end in entry win or lose. Both women are in desperate need of a victory, and this battle could go either way. I’d slightly lean towards Robertson since she has fought a greater level of competition, but it’s close.
Carlo Pedersoli Jr. vs. Dwight Grant, UFC Fight Night 145
Then We’ve Got a welterweight bout between Carlo Pedersoli Jr. and Dwight Grant. Sherdog broke the information. Pedersoli Jr. (11-2) started his UFC career using a split decision win over Brad Scott but suffered a quick 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 fight. Both men have a whole lot to prove but I believe Pedersoli Jr. is a much better fighter based on what we’ve observed in the UFC and Cage Warriors plus I’d prefer him .
Magomed Ankalaev vs. Klidson Farias de Abreu, UFC Fight Night 145
After a couple other opponents fell through, Magomed Ankalaev will return to the Octagon from UFC newcomer Klidson Farias de Abreu. Ankalaev (9-1) suffered a devastating submission loss to Paul Craig in his UFC debut but bounced back well with a TKO win over Marcin Prachnio in his final struggle. Abreu (14-2) is riding a six-fight win streak into this contest and all 16 of his wins have finished within the distance. I would not feel comfortable laying huge juice Ankalaev after what happened in the Craig fight, but on paper he must have the advantage in this particular one. With that said, if Abreu is a huge underdog such as Craig was, perhaps 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 connection between Damir Ismagulov and Joel Alvarez. MMADNA broke the news. Ismagulov (17-2) is riding a 12-fight win series and won a decision over Alex Gorgees in his UFC debut. Alvarez (15-1) is a veteran of the Spanish regional scene, and it has finished all 15 of the professional victories. Alvarez looks like a solid prospect but Ismagulov is on a whole other level and I would peg him as a big favorite to win this battle.
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