UFC PHILADELPHIA ADDS KEVIN HOLLAND VS. GERALD MEERSCHAERT
The UFC is headed back to the City of Brotherly Love after this month, and a few fights have been added on short notice. UFC on ESPN two happens March 30 in Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, along with my initial thoughts on these new bouts are below.
Kevin Holland vs. Gerald Meerschaert, UFC on ESPN two Middleweights Kevin Holland Gerald Meerschaert are set to clash at UFC on ESPN 2 in what ought to be a fun battle for the fans. The Philly Voice broke news. Holland (13-4) fell a choice to Thiago Santos in his UFC debut but rebounded nicely with a submission win over John Phillips. In general, he’s won five of his last six fights. Meerschaert (28-10) is 4-2 at the UFC but is coming from a entry loss to Jack Hermansson. Both Holland and Meerschaert are very underrated and exciting fighters at middleweight, but given Holland’s youth and physical benefits in this fight, I would make him the favorite here.
Ray Borg vs. Kyler Phillips, UFC on ESPN 2 Because of an injury to Pingyuan Liu, Ray Borg now meets short-notice replacement competitor Kyler Phillips in a bantamweight bout. Borg (11-3) is 5-3 overall in the UFC but hasn’t fought since a submission reduction to Demetrious Johnson at October 2017. He has dealt with a great deal in his young career and he could put the past behind him. Phillips (6-1) is making his UFC debut after picking up a head kick KO in LFA just a couple of weeks ago. He is a veteran of the Contender Series and looks like quite a promising prospect, however, he lacks the UFC encounter that Borg has. I think Phillips has a chance to win this particular fight, however you still have to prefer Borg.
Alex Perez vs. Mark de la Rosa, UFC on ESPN 2 Moving up from flyweight to bantamweight is Alex Perez, and he’ll take on Mark de la Rosa. Perez (21-5) won his first three UFC battles before getting knocked out by Joseph Benavidez in his final outing. Prior to that, he had been riding an eight-fight win streak. De la Rosa (11-1) is 2-1 at the UFC and his wife Montana de la Rosa is getting a great deal of success from the Octagon, but the truth he struggled at a narrow split decision win over Joby Sanchez was bothering. Like most bantamweight bouts, this ought to be aggressive, but I would still favor Perez to receive his hand raised.
John Makdessi vs. Jesus Pinedo, UFC Fight Night 148
Because of accidents Chris Gruetzemacher and Nasrat Haqparast, their first opponents John Makdessi and Jesus Pinedo will fight at UFC Fight Night 148, taking place March 23 at Bridgestone Arena at Nashville, Tennessee. Considering both men are lightweights who only lost their opponents, this was the best way to maintain both men on the card. Makdessi (16-6) is 9-6 at the UFC and is coming off of back-to-back wins over Ross Pearson and Abel Trujillo. Pinedo (16-4-1) is really on a seven-fight win series and beat Devin Powell by decision within his UFC debut. Makdessi includes a ton of experience in the Octagon however Pinedo is only 22-years-old and looks like a fantastic prospect. I’d anticipate a close line here but given Pinedo’s childhood and upside he’s probably the drama in this one.
Disclaimer: This page includes affiliate links and MMA Odds Breaker will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on the links.
Read more: nfl betting lines