The UFC Fight Night 95 event comes to us this Saturday, September 24th, with a big card in the Brazilian capital of Brasilia that sees the event’s feature bouts air on Fox Sports 1. The entire card is heavy on talent from Brazil, and there have been times in the UFC’s history where fighting in Brazil has been very hard for fighters who are on the road.
The main event is notable for several reasons — it is in the women’s divisions, it is a match made at a catchweight, and one of the fighters is making her UFC debut. Lina Lansberg (6-1) of Sweden is riding a nice six-fight winning streak, and her nickname, Elbow Princess, may inspire hope that we may have a bigger version of 115-lb. champion Joanne Jedrzckjck on our hands, but walking into the UFC to face Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino is a tall order for any fighter.
Cyborg is 16-1 overall and this will be her second fight under the UFC flag. The continued use of a catchweight for Justino rekindles the question that has been open for the last five years and that is “Can Cyborg ever make it to 135 lbs?” What the UFC wants to do is match her with Ronda Rousey for what will likely be a mega-money fight, but the uncertainty surrounding Rousey’s return means the UFC needs a Plan B. The UFC should activate the 125-lb. and 145-lb. weight classes in the women’s divisions and let Cyborg dominate her own division starting now. Remember, the UFC is the company that literally gave Ronda Rousey a world title before she ever fought in the UFC and labelled her first fight a “title defense.”
The co-feature bout sees former 135-lb. men’s bantamweight champion Renan Barao return for his second fight in the 145-lb. featherweight division to take on Phillipe Nover. Barao is at a true crossroads in his career and is in need of a win here. He is still just 29 years old and his overall record of 33-4 is still among the best records in MMA history winning percentage wise, but he has dropped three out of his last four fights and his debut at 145 saw him lose to gatekeeper Jeremy Stephens.
Also on the card is a potentially entertaining donnybrook between heavyweight sluggers Antonio Silva and Roy Nelson, both of whom are on streaks that have seen them lose four of their last five fights.
UFC Fight Night 95 Odds
Below are the odds and the over/under lines for the UFN 95 main card. Check your local listings for start times. Do not forget to check out the latest Talk’n’Shoot video blog for more details on Saturday’s fights.
Catchweight 5 rounds –
Lina Akhtar Lansberg +700 o1½ +260
Cristiane Justino -1300 u1½ -350
Featherweight 3 rounds –
Phillipe Nover +280 o2½ -165
Renan Barao -400 u2½ +125
Heavyweight 3 rounds –
Antonio Silva +300 o1½ +155
Roy Nelson -420 u1½ -195
Lightweight 3 rounds –
Francisco Trinaldo -155 o2½ -195
Paul Felder +115 u2½ +155
Middleweight 3 rounds –
Eric Spicely +320 o1½ +155
Thiago Santos -460 u1½ -195
Featherweight 3 rounds –
Godofredo Pepey -155 o1½ -105
Mike de la Torre +115 u1½ -135
Flyweight 3 rounds –
Dustin Ortiz +155 o2½ -230
Jussier Formiga -195 u2½ +170
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