The Octagon heads to Yubileyny Sports Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia on April 20 for UFC Fight Night 149, and the card is finally starting to shape up.
Though the UFC hasn’t officially announced the subsequent bouts, various media sources have reported them, and it’s expected the UFC makes them official soon. Here are my thoughts on the first three famous struggles for UFC St. Petersburg.
Alistair Overeem vs. Alexander Volkov, UFC Fight Night 149
The main event of UFC Fight Night 149 is scheduled to be a five-round heavyweight bout between Alistair Overeem and Alexander Volkov. Denis Geyko broke the information. Overeem (44-17, 1 NC) is 9-6 overall at the UFC and is coming from a TKO win over Sergey Pavlovich. Volkov (30-7) is currently 4-1 in the UFC and is coming from a shocking last-second KO loss to Derrick Lewis. Prior to this he had been on a six-fight win streak and was nearing title contention. Had Volkov lasted just 10 more minutes against Lewis he likely would have been fighting for a title by now. I’m hoping people forget just how close Volkov was to winning this fight, and perhaps he’ll be the puppy here against Overeem since he’s coming off of a knockout win. I just don’t believe Overeem’s chin can be trusted contrary to a long, lanky and potent striker like Volkov, and I lean towards the Russian within this one.
Sergey Pavlovich vs. Marcelo Golm, UFC Fight Night 149
A fun heavyweight fight between Sergey Pavlovich and Marcelo Golm may even occur on this card. Via MMADNL, Igor Lazorin broke news. Pavlovich (12-1) was undefeated as a pro with the majority of his wins coming by knockout before he was knocked out by Overeem in his UFC debut. That has been too much of a step up for Pavlovich and the UFC is eventually offering him a more favorable matchup in his home nation. Golm (6-2) completed Christian Colombo in his Octagon introduction but has since lost conclusions to Arjan Bhullar and Tim Johnson. Golm just hasn’t been notable in the UFC at all and although Pavlovich did not look good against Overeem he has many advantages in this fight. I expect the Russian for a pretty big favorite to get his hands raised as a outcome.
Roxanne Modafferi vs. Antonina Shevchenko, UFC Fight Night 149
And finally, women’s flyweights Roxanne Modafferi and Antonina are put to fight at this event. MyMMANews.com broke the fight . Modafferi (22-15) is 1-3 complete from the UFC and is coming from a decision loss to Sijara Eubanks. She has had a bit of a career revival since going down to flyweight, but is obviously at an athletic disadvantage in this matchup. Shevchenko (7-0) is the sister of UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko and she is so far 1-0 from the Octagon with a decision win over Ji Yeon Kim. This is a very favorable matchup for Shevchenko over someone who can’t match her at the striking and that I expect her to win a clear choice in this one. Look for her to be a large preferred to collect the win.
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