Preview: UFC Fight Night 139 ‘Korean Zombie vs. Rodriguez’

Lightweights

Davi Ramos (8-2) vs. John Gunther (5-0): Thanks to some combination of being a Stipe Miocic teammate and his wacky personality -- he shaves alpacas and has a mustache -- Gunther managed to get a slot on the most recent season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” He is a decent wrestler and little else, and frankly, he is lucky he drew Allan Zuniga coming off of the show. Most other castmates would have handed him a loss and led to his receiving his walking papers. Gunther takes on Ramos, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace who has been a bit frustrating, given his penchant for slow kickboxing matches. However, he slowly seems to be realizing that he is much better when he takes things to the ground. Even if Ramos fails to do so here, I am not exactly sure what Gunther offers, and the best part of Gunther’s game seems ripe to have him dive right into a submission. The pick is Ramos via first-round submission. ODDS: Ramos (-900), Gunther (+600)

Flyweights

Joseph Morales (9-1) vs. Eric Shelton (11-5): Shelton was a pleasant surprise on the all-flyweight season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” going from the No. 15 seed in the tournament to a semifinalist on the strength of his athleticism and wrestling game. Against better competition and without the benefit of surprise, Shelton has struggled to rack up wins at the UFC level; and coming off of back-to-back losses, he badly needs a win against Morales. A standard-issue Team Alpha Male prospect, Morales balances a strong grappling game with some decent striking to flesh out things, though he is less of an athlete than you would expect out of the camp, even if he makes up for that with some more well-rounded skills. That is the dynamic here. It figures to be a grappling contest, pitting Shelton’s superior athleticism against Morales’s patience and deeper skill set. I favor Morales via decision, but it is a hard fight to call. ODDS: Morales (-115), Shelton (-105)

Bantamweights

Mark De La Rosa (10-1) vs. Joby Sanchez (11-3): A late addition to the card sees two natural flyweights square off at 135 pounds. Texas’ De La Rosa -- one-half of the first husband-wife duo in UFC history -- is a solid prospect who is a bit lost in the flyweight shark tank. He had little to offer Tim Elliott in a late-notice debut but rebounded with a win in a fun scrap against Elias Garcia. He takes on Sanchez, who is trying to ensure that his second UFC stint goes better than the first. Sanchez is well-rounded technically but suffers from not being an elite athlete and often makes poor decisions inside the cage. Sanchez has a bad tendency to find himself in bad positions on the ground, so I favor De La Rosa, a talented scrambler, even if Sanchez has all the tools to win if he fights a smart fight. The pick is De La Rosa via second-round submission. ODDS: De La Rosa (-230), Sanchez (+190)