The Octagon’s return to Sweden is starting to form up. UFC Fight Night 152 takes place June 1 in Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, and the subsequent four streaks have been added to the card that’s expected to be headlined by Alexander Gustafsson vs. Anthony Smith.
Volkan Oezdemir vs. Ilir Latifi, UFC Fight Night 152
An exciting light heavyweight bout between Volkan Oezdemir and Ilir Latifi is the most noteworthy of the new bouts added to UFC Fight Night 152. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto broke the news. Oezdemir (15-4) is 3-3 at the UFC but is now mired in a three-fight losing skid including a split decision loss to Dominick Reyes in UFC London just over a week back. Clearly, he needs to get back in there and put that close loss behind him. Latifi (14-6, 1 NC) is 7-4 in the UFC and most recently dropped a choice to Corey Anderson. Both guys are just below the elite level of the top light heavyweights but tend to be far better than gatekeepers, which makes this a close one to call. Regardless of his losing slip I slightly lean towards Oezdemir, but Latifi combating in the home in Sweden would be the difference in this struggle and that I expect a very close betting line.
Jimi Manuwa vs. Aleksandar Rakic, UFC Fight Night 152
Another intriguing light heavyweight bout will see Jimi Manuwa take on Aleksandar Rakic. Manuwa (17-5) is 6-5 in the UFC and is now riding a three-fight losing skid. He was one of the very dangerous light heavyweights in the world at one time, however, the game appears to have passed by and at age 39 he looks to be on the downside of his career, even though he could still surprise with a barbarous knockout. Rakic (11-1) is 3-0 at the UFC and is coming off of a huge knockout win over Devin Clark. Only 27, Rakic looks just like a force at 205lbs for years ahead, and I’d anticipate hm to be a large favorite to win this battle.
Makwan Amirkhani vs. Chris Fishgold, UFC Fight Night 152
Featherweights Makwan Amirkhani and Chris Fishgold are set to clash, and the UFC has made the bout official. Amirkhani (14-3) is 4-1 overall in the Octagon and is coming off of a split decision win over Jason Knight. At one time he looked just like a future featherweight contender, but accidents and long layoffs have halted his career. Fishgold (18-2, 1 NC) was completed by Calvin Kattar in his UFC debut but rebounded with a submission win over Daniel Teymur his last time out. I expect Amirkhani to be preferred because he’s a popular fighter, but I give Fishgold a good prospect of winning this bout.
Nick Hein vs. Luigi Vendramini, UFC Fight Night 152
Nick Hein takes on Luigi Vendramini at a lightweight bout. Combate broke the information. Hein (14-4, 1 NC) is 4-3 overall in the UFC but has lost back-to-back conflicts to Damir Hadzovic and Davi Ramos. Vendramini (8-1) was undefeated with all of his wins coming from stoppage before getting knocked out by top rival Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in his UFC debut. Moving down a weight class and obtaining a full camp should be beneficial to Vendramini, who must be a slight favorite here.
Bea Malecki vs. Duda Santana, UFC Fight Night 152
And lastly, women’s featherweights Bea Malecki and Duda Santana match. Malecki (2-0) is a Sweden indigenous who seemed on TUF but did not fare well on the show as she dropped. Santana (3-0) has won all three of her pro bouts but hasn’t fought since 2017. Flip a coin for this one as both girls have loads of question marks .
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