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The UFC goes to Uruguay for the first time in promotion history on August 10, 2019, for UFC Fight Night 156 of UFC on ESPN +14. The event will be held at the Antel Arena in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Valentina Shevchenko vs Liz Carmouche
Valentina Shevchenko heads to this title defense with a record of 17-3 and she’s won 41% of his fights via submission. She has won 10 out of her last 12 bouts and is coming off a spectacular head kick knockout of Jessica Eye last June. The Bullet is 31 years old and fights out of the southpaw stance. She stands 5-5 tall with a reach of 66 inches. The former multiple-time Muay Thai world champion is the defending UFC women’s flyweight champion.
No question, she ranks among the top pound for pound female fighters in the UFC right now. She isn’t the most powerful striker but perhaps is the most efficient and accurate. Her attack is diversified owing to her kickboxing and Muay Thai background and she is also an excellent submission artist who also has a solid ground and pound game. Watch out for her leg kicks as she can win the fight even without throwing too many punches.
Liz Carmouche has a record of 13-6 with 46% of her wins coming by way of knockout. Carmouche is coming off a February win over Lucie Pudilova and she has won four out of her last five bouts in the UFC with her only loss coming to a split decision loss to Alexis Davis. She’s looked sharp in her last 3 bouts where she landed 71% of her strikes and secured three takedowns. This will be her first title fight since losing to Ronda Rousey in 2013.
Carmouche is known as Girl-Rilla for his strength and power. She has pop in her punches but the knack on her is that she gets too defensive at times that she becomes passive and her fights look boring and tough to judge. She is sometimes hesitant to let her hands go and often waits for her opponent to make the first move. As for strengths, she is a very intelligent fighter who can dig deep and find ways to win. However, if she wants to beat Shevchenko, she needs to be aggressive right from the start.
Who Wins?
Shevchenko is a massive MMA betting favorite to win this bout. As such, her price is so steep right now considering that Carmouche has started to put together some good victories. Don’t forget the fact that Carmouche also beat Shevchenko at C3 Fights: Red River Rivalry although that was some nine years ago.
Carmouche as never been knocked out and she is well-conditioned to go five rounds I expect Carmouche to enter this match with plenty of confidence because of her recent good run and her past win over Valentina. But Shevchenko has likewise looked phenomenal in recent years and she is a more complete fighter now than she was when she was in her 20’s.
I think that Valentina has gotten better since their last meeting and she has become one of the scariest fighters in the women’s side of MMA because she can do it all and she has shown very few weaknesses. I think Shevchenko is on top of her game right now and unless she becomes too over-confident, I don’t think Carmouche can’t beat her.
Carmouche doesn’t have that aggressive offense that can put Shevchenko out of her element. I think the champion dictates this fight and imposes her will. Amanda Nunes had problems beating her. I think Valentina Shevchenko wins this fight by stoppage. Prediction: Valentina Shevchenko
Volkan Oezdemir vs Ilir Latifi
Oezdemir has a record of 15-4 with 11 knockouts. He is currently the UFC’s #7 ranked light heavyweight. The 29-year-old from Switzerland stands 6-2 with a reach of 75 inches while fighting as an orthodox fighter. Known as No-Time, he has a kickboxing background that makes him a dangerous striker with knockout power. After winning his first three UFC bouts by knockout, Oezdemir has lost three in a row. In his most recent bout, Oezdemir lost to Dominick Reyes by split decision.
Latifi is 14-6-0-1 with five knockouts and five submissions. The Sledgehammer from Sweden is 36 years old and stands 5-10 with a reach of 63 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. Latifi is a brawler who has decent submission skills. But he prefers to strike and put his opponents down with his work rate and power. Latifi has lost two out of his last four bouts and is coming off a loss to Corey Anderson last December.
I think there is too much difference in height and reach here. Although Latifi can knock out Oezdemir with one punch, I’m not sure how he gets near the Swiss striker who is an intelligent striker. If Oezdemir fights from a distance and avoids a brawl, this is going to be an easy decision win for him. Prediction: Volkan Oezdemir
Rodolfo Vieira vs Oskar Piechota
Rodolfo Viera is the highly-touted Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace who will make his octagon debut in this contest. Viera is 5-0 with four wins by submission in his MMA career. The multiple-time BJJ world champions and ADCC gold medalist made his MMA pro debut in 2017 and has four wins via choke. Since he also has one KO win, all his wins have been by stoppage. Viera stands 6-1 with an undisclosed reach.
Oskar Piechota is a former Cage Warriors middleweight champion. He stands 6-0 with a reach of 76 inches while fighting as a southpaw. Piechota has a record of 11-1-1 with five knockouts and five submissions. He won his first two UFC bouts before suffering his first career loss in his last fight, a submission defeat against Gerald Meerschaert last July 2018.
Viera isn’t a complete MMA fighter yet but he’s fighting a guy who doesn’t have enough experience as well. Piechota hasn’t fought in a year and he hasn’t been impressive, especially on the ground where Viera is a stud. I think Viera finds a way to take this fight to the ground. He’s going to take Piechota’s back and score another choke victory. Prediction: Rodolfo Viera
Enrique Barzola vs Bobby Moffett
Enrique Barzola enters this bout with a 16-4-1 record with four knockouts and four submission wins. Known as El Fuerte, this 32-year old from Lima, Peru stands 5-7 with a reach of 70 inches while fighting as at the featherweight division. In his most recent bout, Barzola took a loss from Kevin Aguilar at UFC of ESPN 2 last March.
Bobby Moffett is known as the Wolfman. The 29-year-old from Illinois in the United States has a record of 14-4 with 9 wins by submission. He stands 5-10 with a reach of 74 inches while fighting as an orthodox. After shining in Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender series, he is 1-1 in the UFC octagon. In his last bout, he lost to Bryce Mitchell by decision.
These two are new in the UFC but when it comes to fighting experience, Barzola has fought longer and he also has a better all-around game. Moffett is good on the ground but his standup is questionable. I think Barzola bucks the size advantage and outworks Moffett Prediction: Enrique Barzola
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