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Women’s Strawweights

NR | Cheyanne Vlismas (6-2, 1-1 UFC) vs. NR | Mallory Martin (7-4, 1-2 UFC)

ODDS: Vlismas (-185), Martin (+160)

It was nice to see Vlismas rebound from a disappointing UFC debut in spectacular fashion, as “The Warrior Princess” is definitely a strawweight prospect worth watching. Vlismas flashed a lot of tools on her way to the UFC—some sharp striking included—but had little answer for Montserrat Ruiz in that UFC debut, constantly getting frustrated and controlled by her adversary’s unorthodox grappling style. Vlismas quickly erased those memories with her victory over Gloria de Paula in July, scoring a quick finish shortly after blasting the Brazilian with a highlight-reel head kick. Vlismas looks to build on that momentum against Martin, who has struggled to find her footing in the UFC thus far. Martin has some solid tools and impresses when everything is fully clicking, thanks to her wrestling and vicious ground-and-pound. However, getting to that point is often an adventure, as Martin’s pressure is consistent but slow enough to get her tagged as she closes in on her opponents. This is a solid test for Vlismas, if only because Martin would go down as her best win, but this looks like a winnable fight. Beyond being able to clip Martin on the feet, Vlismas has shown enough athleticism and grappling that she should be able to hold her own with the Elevation Fight Team rep on the mat. The pick is Vlismas via second-round knockout.

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