An interesting matchup takes place on the FS1 portion of the preliminary card at UFC 212 on Saturday night, as Iuri Alcantara takes on Brian Kelleher. It is a matchup between a UFC veteran in Alcantara, who is 35-7-1 overall and 9-4 in the UFC and Kelleher, who is 16-7 overall and making his UFC debut. It is not a surprise that Alcantara is favored, as he is listed at -272, but those odds at least indicate Kelleher has a chance to win.
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Iuri Alcantara (35-7-1, 9-4 UFC)
It looked like Alcantara was on the way down after losing two of three fights in 2015 and 2016, as he lost to Frankie Saenz, beat Leandro Issa and lost to Jimmie Rivera. The loss to Rivera wasn’t a bad one, as it received “Fight of the Night” in January of 2016. Alcantara looked good in beating Brad Pickett at UFC 204 last year and he followed that win up with a submission of Luke Sanders at UFC 209 in March of this year.
Brian Kelleher (16-7, UFC debut)
Kelleher has not fought since March of last year but he has won six straight. All of the competition was lower level, as he fought in CES MMA, CFFC and Ring of Combat. He did defeat Andre Soukhamthath in one of those bouts and Soukhamthath recently signed with the UFC. Kelleher was going nowhere in his MMA career until 2014 when he turned things around with a win over Mark Cherico at Pinnacle FC 9. Kelleher was 10-7 in his career before that win and he is now on a six-fight winning streak. Kelleher has won 13 of his 16 fights by either knockout or submission.
“I think it takes some time in this lifestyle, in the fight lifestyle, to find yourself as a fighter," Kelleher told FloCombat. "I knew my record wasn't the best out there, and I told myself, 'No more going in there and selling yourself short and not leaving it all in the cage.' I hit a switch in my mind where I just truly believed in myself.”
Fight Notes
Kelleher realizes his UFC debut will not be easy, as he takes on a tough veteran in Alcantara. "I think this is the best opportunity I could've gotten to be honest," Kelleher said. "I'm fighting No. [13] in the world, so I'm going in there to take his spot. That's what I wanted. I'm 30 years old. I want the fast-track. I want to be the Donald Cerrone of the bantamweight division and stay active and make my way to the top.”
Kelleher has received a four-fight deal from the UFC and he has intentions of moving up the rankings. "That's my plan. I want to stay active. I'm 30 years old.” Kelleher told FloCombat. “I'm in my prime. I don't want to take the slow route. I want the best guy. I want them to feed me to the sharks. I don't care who I fight next. If I beat Iuri, I want a top-10 guy. I'm willing to take on the best."
UFC Picks
The odds on this fight are really interesting, as based on the records and experience of the two fighters you would think Alcantara would be a really big favorite but that is not the case. Alcantara is still a solid favorite but I think the oddsmakers are right and that Kelleher has a real chance to win this fight. I will take Kelleher at plus money to get the upset win.
UFC 212 takes place on Saturday, June 3 at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The feature fight has current featherweight champion Jose Aldo taking on and interim champion Max Holloway. There are five fights on the main pay-per-view card and seven preliminary bouts, with four on FS1 and three on UFC Fight Pass.
Main Card
Jose Aldo -115 vs. Max Holloway
Claudia Gadelha -280 vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz
Vitor Belfort -149 vs. Nate Marquardt
Paulo Borrachinha -310 vs. Oluwale Bamgbose
Erick Silva -115 vs. Yancy Medeiros
Preliminary Card (FS1)
Marlon Moraes -194 vs. Raphael Assuncao
Antonio Carlos Junior -224 vs. Eric Spicely
Matthew Lopez -215 vs. Johnny Eduardo
Iuri Alcantara -272 vs. Brian Kelleher
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Viviane Pereira -129 vs. Jamie Moyle
Luan Chagas -225 vs. Jim Wallhead
Deiveson Alcantara -170 vs. Marco Beltran
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