Capping off another big weekend of MMA action will be UFC Fight Night 108, which will have a pair of featherweights in the featured spot. Headlining tonight’s UFC Fight Night 108 card is a featherweight division affair as Cub Swanson looks for a win over Artem Lobov. Also, Al Iaquinta returns to fight Diego Sanchez and Ovince St. Preux looks for a hometown victory over Marcos Rogerio De Lima.
Main Card
Main Event
UFC Featherweight Division Fight
Cub Swanson (24-7-0) vs. Artem Lobov (13-12-1-1NC)
Swanson will enter the fight riding a three fight winning streak, with those wins coming over Hacran Dias, Tatsuya Kawajiri and Doo Ho Choi. Lobov will come into this fight in the midst of a two fight winning streak, defeating both Chris Avila and Teruto Ishihara. Swanson has headlined two UFC events in the past, earning a record of 1-1-0 in his past UFC main event bouts. Lobov has seen all four of his previous bouts in the UFC go to the judge’s scorecards and he has a record of 2-2-0 in the UFC.
Prediction: This is easily one of the biggest mismatches in UFC history, Swanson drops Lobov with a combination before submitting him early in the first round.
Co-Main Event
UFC Lightweight Division Fight
Al Iaquinta (12-3-1) vs. Diego Sanchez (27-9-0)
Iaquinta will be fighting for the first time in over two years, but he is entering the fight on the strength of a four fight winning streak. Sanchez has rotated wins and losses in his last six UFC appearances, with his last fight being a win over Marcin Held at UFC Fight Night 98. Iaquinta hasn’t suffered a defeat in almost three years, with his last defeat coming to Mitch Clarke at UFC 173. Sanchez was the winner of the UFC Ultimate Fighter 1 and he has previously challenged for the UFC Lightweight Title.
Prediction: Sanchez will look to use his strikes to set up the takedown, but Iaquinta will use his boxing to keep him at bay on route to a decision win.
UFC Light Heavyweight Division Fight
Ovince St. Preux (19-10-0) vs. Marcos Rogerio De Lima (15-4-1)
St. Preux will be entering the fight riding a three fight losing streak and he hasn’t earned a victory in well over a year. De Lima has rotated wins and losses in his last five UFC fights, with his last fight being a win over Jeremy Kimball at UFC On Fox 23. St. Preux has a 3-4-0 record at “Fight Night” events and his last win came over Rafael Cavalcante at UFC Fight Night 82. De Lima has a 4-2-0 record under the UFC banner and all six of his fights have ended in the opening round.
Prediction: De Lima has great striking power and a great ground game, De Lima grounds St. Preux before finishing him with strikes in the first round.
UFC Bantamweight Division Fight
John Dodson (18-8-0) vs. Eddie Wineland (23-11-1)
Dodson has won just one of two fights since returning to the bantamweight division, defeating Manny Gamburyan and suffering a defeat to John Lineker. Wineland will be entering the fight riding a two fight winning streak, with those wins coming over Frankie Saenz and Takeya Mizugaki. Dodson has twice before challenged for the UFC Flyweight Title, dropping both fights to current champion Demetrious Johnson. Wineland was the first ever World Extreme Cagefighting Bantamweight Champion and he has previously challenged for the UFC Bantamweight Title.
Prediction: This is going to be a speed versus precision striking affair, the speed of Dodson will net him a close decision win.
UFC Lightweight Division Fight
Joe Lauzon (27-12-0) vs. Stevie Ray (20-6-0)
Lauzon has rotated wins and losses in his last seven UFC appearances, with his last fight being a victory over Marcin Held at UFC Fight Night 103. Ray has won four of five fights under the UFC banner, including a win over TUF champion Ross Pearson at UFC Fight Night 99. Lauzon has seen his last two fights go the distance and it has been almost a year since one of his fights ended with a finish. Ray is a former Cage Warriors Lightweight Champion, defeating UFC veteran Curt Warburton to win the gold.
Prediction: Lauzon is better with the ground game and Ray is better with the striking, Ray catches an incoming Lauzon for a first round knockout finish.
UFC Welterweight Division Fight
Jake Ellenberger (31-12-0) vs. Mike Perry (9-1-0)
Ellenberger has only won two of his last eight fights under the UFC banner, with those two wins coming over Josh Koscheck and Matt Brown. Perry will be looking to rebound from his first professional MMA defeat, which came to Alan Jouban at UFC On Fox 22. Ellenberger will be competing on his first “Fight Night” event in almost six years, with his last appearance coming at UFC Fight Night 25 in September 2011. Perry has also earned two victories under the UFC banner, with those two wins coming over the duo of Hyun Gyu Lim and Danny Roberts.
Prediction: Ellenberger has great wrestling and an increasingly weak chin, Perry picks him apart with his boxing before finishing him with strikes in the second round.
Preliminary Card Quick Picks
Thales Leites over Sam Alvey
Brandon Moreno over Dustin Ortiz
Scott Holtzman over Michael McBride
Jessica Penne over Danielle Taylor
Cindy Dandois over Alexis Davis
Bryan Barberena over Joe Proctor
Matt Schnell over Hector Sandoval
