Middleweights
Elias Theodorou (14-2) vs. Trevor Smith (15-7)
Odds: Theodorou (-410), Smith (+330)
Respect to Theodorou, who continues to fight regularly, putting himself through arduous training camps, despite a burgeoning acting and modeling career. He has even proven himself a fringe top-15 middleweight, with the physical gifts and high-volume attack to beat the vast majority of 185-pounders. But dang if he’s not frustrating to watch sometimes, let alone fight. Nowhere was that more evident than in his last two contests with Brad Tavares and the aforementioned Kelly. Against Tavares, a well-rounded competitor who could kick at range and wrestle with him, Theodorou engaged in a grinding clinch battle along the fence. Against Kelly, Theodorou managed to avoid clinching with the decorated judoka, stayed on his bike, and pecked away with high-volume, low-power kicks as Kelly tried unsuccessfully to march him down. “The Spartan” wants no part of exchanges in the pocket, preferring either to kick from the outside or wrestle. Smith is no stranger to grinding himself. The former junior college All-American wrestler is at his best from top position, wearing opponents out with wrestling rides while delivering ground and pound and threatening with chokes. “Hot Sauce” is not a dominant takedown artist, only completing 34% of his attempts, but he manages to land two per fight on average. His standup is jerky but not without pop, but his defense is rough and his footwork is plodding. Smith will have his moments in the clinch and may be able to drag Theodorou to the floor a time or two, but this is the Canadian’s fight. “The Mane Event” will largely stall Smith’s wrestling advances and out-land him at range to take another tepid decision.
Women’s Bantamweights
Gina Mazany (5-1) vs. Lina Lansberg (7-3)
Odds: Lansberg (-110), Mazany (-110)
Mazany is difficult to gauge because her competition has either been very good or terrible. On the Alaskan regional scene, she had her way with everyone she faced. The Xtreme Couture export likes to push forward aggressively behind straight punches until she can initiate the clinch. “Danger” then goes to work with knees and punches from the collar tie before trying to force the fight to the floor. Once on the mat, her aggression continues unabated, as she punches and pounds her way to a dominant position and a TKO. But Julianna Pena and Sara McMann (the former on TUF) were able to follow basically that exact gameplan against her; she isn’t an elite athlete or lights out grappler, like that pair. She has an interesting test from “Elbow Queen,” another imposing bantamweight who likes to punch her way into the clinch. The Muay Thai practitioner can kick a bit as well, but she really wants to pin her adversary on the cage and go to town with knees and - you guessed it - elbows. Lansberg should have the advantage in the phase this bout seems destined to be contested, and she likely also has an edge in athleticism. The Swede grinds her way to a decision in an ugly, back-and-forth scrap.