The UFC is headed back into the City of Brotherly Love after this month, and a couple fights have been added on short notice. UFC on ESPN two takes place March 30 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and 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 battle at UFC on ESPN two in what ought to be an enjoyable battle for the fans. The Philly Voice broke the news. Holland (13-4) dropped a decision 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 off of a submission loss to Jack Hermansson. Both Holland and Meerschaert are extremely 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 Due to an accident to Pingyuan Liu, Ray Borg currently meets short-notice replacement competitor Kyler Phillips at a bantamweight bout. Borg (11-3) is 5-3 overall in the UFC but hasn’t fought since a submission loss to Demetrious Johnson in October 2017. He’s dealt with a lot in his young career and hopefully 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 seems like quite a promising prospect, however, he lacks the UFC encounter that Borg has. I believe Phillips has a chance to win this particular fight, but you still have to favor Borg.
Alex Perez vs. Mark de la Rosa, UFC on ESPN two Moving up from flyweight into bantamweight is Alex Perez, and he’ll take on Mark de la Rosa. Perez (21-5) won his first three UFC fights before getting knocked out by Joseph Benavidez in his final outing. Prior to this, he was riding an eight-fight win streak. De la Rosa (11-1) is 2-1 at the UFC and his spouse Montana de la Rosa is getting a lot of success in the Octagon, but the truth he struggled in a narrow split decision win over Joby Sanchez was bothering. Like most bantamweight bouts, this ought to be competitive, but I would still favor Perez to receive his hands raised.
John Makdessi vs. Jesus Pinedo, UFC Fight Night 148
Due to accidents Chris Gruetzemacher and Nasrat Haqparast, their original opponents John Makdessi and Jesus Pinedo will now 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 way to keep both men on the card. Makdessi (16-6) is 9-6 at the UFC and is coming from back-to-back wins over Ross Pearson and Abel Trujillo. Pinedo (16-4-1) is really on a seven-fight win streak and beat Devin Powell by choice in his UFC debut. Makdessi includes a ton of experience in the Octagon however Pinedo is only 22-years-old and seems like a great prospect. I would expect a close lineup here but awarded Pinedo’s youth and upside he’s most likely the play in this .
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