Quite a few UFC heavyweights are booked for upcoming bouts, and I’ll present my thoughts on these brand new matchups in the current MMA odds and ends.
Ben Rothwell vs. Blagoy Ivanov at March
Long-time heavvyweight contender Ben Rothwell will return to the Octagon if he takes on Blagoy Ivanov in a yet-to-be-determined UFC event in March. MMA.bg first broke the news of the bout and Rothwell’s return to the Octagon. Rothwell (36-10) is 6-4 overall from the UFC dating back to 2009. He has fought only once per year, owing in part as a result of injuries and also to drug suspensions. He hasn’t fought since a decision loss to Junior dos Santos back in April 2016, and he was suspended by USADA for two years after testing positive for prohibited substances. However, prior to the loss to JDS, Rothwell had won four fights in a row including a TKO win over Alistair Overeem. He should immediately jump back into the top-15 if he returns to the cage. Ivanov (16-2, 1 NC) also lost a decision to JDS in his last fight, which had been his UFC debut. Prior to that he had won five straight struggles in WSOF/PFL. I believe Ivanov will seem better than how he did against JDS, but I’d still have to lean Rothwell here just due to his expertise and success in the Octagon these years.
Junior dos Santos vs. Derrick Lewis, UFC Fight Night 146
Heavyweight contenders Junior dos Santos and Derrick Lewis are set to battle UFC Fight Night 146, that can be set for March 9 at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas. MMAjunkie.com broke the information. JDS (20-5) had a great comeback year in 2018 with clear victories over Tai Tuivasa and Blagoy Ivanov. Lewis (21-6, 1 NC) is coming from a submission reduction to Daniel Cormier in his unsuccessful bid to win the UFC heavyweight title, but had conquered Francis Ngannou and Alexander Volkov before that. This ought to be a quality battle between two hard-hitting heavyweights, but JDS is the considerably more well-rounded fighter and I expect him to be the favorite here, though obviously Lewis has a puncher’s chance. I’d still anticipate JDS to be a 2-to-1 favorite here.
Jeff Hughes vs. Daniel Spitz At the same time, top heavyweight prospect Jeff Hughes will make his Octagon debut against Daniel Spitz at UFC Fight Night 146. FloCombat’s Nolan King reported the news. Hughes (10-1) has won four straight fights such as a KO win over Josh Appelt on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series to get him signed to the UFC. Prior to this he’d been the LFA heavyweight champion, and his lone career loss was a TKO defeat to Dan Spohn. Spitz (6-2) is 1-2 in the UFC with losses to Walt Harris and Mark Godbeer and also a TKO win to Anthony Hamilton. The UFC has booked Hughes that a very winnable fight because of his Octagon introduction here against a guy like Spitz who does not appear to be UFC-caliber by any way. I would expect Hughes for a giant favored.
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