UFC FT. LAUDERDALE CARD UPDATES INCLUDING ALEX OLIVEIRA VS. MIKE PERRY

UFC Ft. Lauderdale is set to take place April 27 in BB&T Center, and the major event was anticipated to become a five-round middleweight bout between Yoel Romero and Ronaldo»Jacare» Souza. Unfortunately, Romero has pulled out with injury and the UFC is scrambling to find a new opponent for Souza. Some other bouts on the card have also seen changes occur, and I’ll give my initial thoughts on them below.
Alex Oliveira vs. Mike Perry, UFC on ESPN 3
An intriguing 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, 2 NC) is currently 9-4, 1 NC in the UFC and is coming from a barbarous entry reduction to Gunnar Nelson in his final fight. He is always in exciting fights win-or-lose, but is lacking that signature success and has not yet proven he can take the next step into contender status. Perry (12-4) has a 5-4 record at the UFC but was filed by Donald Cerrone in his last fight. Most of us know he has got power, however he has not shown much else besides his hitting power. This one could go either way as both men are talented however defensively flawed. I’d have to prefer Oliveira as he is better on the floor, but Perry is certainly reside in this fight with his KO power.
Carla Esparza vs. Virna Jandiroba, UFC on ESPN 3
Because of an injury 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 also has a 4-4 record overall in the Octagon, such as a TKO loss to Tatiana Suarez in her final outing. Jandiroba (14-0) was the Invicta women’s strawweight champion after going 3-0 in the advertising. Esparza will likely be favored due to getting more UFC expertise, but the unbeaten Jandiroba is completely a live dog in this fight.
Ben Saunders vs. Takashi Sato, UFC on ESPN 3
Also added to UFC on ESPN 3 is a welterweight bout between Ben Saunders and Takashi Sato. Asian MMA broke the news. Saunders (22-11-2) is just 2-4 in his third stint in the UFC, and is coming from back-to-back stoppage declines to Lyman Good and Sergio Moraes. He appears to be on rather the decline. Sato (14-2) is a Pancrase vet who won his last struggle, but overall looks like a questionable signing by the UFC. Given Saunders is from Florida, maybe the UFC thinks they are giving him a winnable fight , but Sato may surprise and get 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 from 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 on 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 one thing I can imagine is that no one desired to fight Burns, that I anticipate to be a huge favorite to defeat Wisely.
Roosevelt Roberts vs. Thomas Gifford, UFC on ESPN 3
And lastly, lightweights Roosevelt Roberts and Thomas Gifford will fulfill at UFC on ESPN 3. Roberts (7-0) has finished all of his pro fights such as 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 final five bouts in the regional circuit. Gifford seems like a good prospect but Roosevelt has proven he can win in the UFC and I expect him to be preferred fairly heavily in this one.
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