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Women’s Strawweights

NR | Istela Nunes (6-2, 0-1 UFC) vs. NR | Sam Hughes (5-4, 0-3 UFC)

BETUS ODDS: Nunes (-210), Hughes (+175)

Hughes still has some upside as an interesting prospect, but it has been rough sledding in the UFC thus far. “Sampage” was less than two years into her pro career when she got the late-notice call for a UFC debut against Tecia Torres, but despite what was a near-unwinnable challenge on paper and in practice, the hope was that she would be able to find her footing from there. Hughes has a solid pressure-based style with a lot of good ideas, but without depth developed through experience, she has found herself undone by not being a powerful enough athlete to control her opponents in the clinch. She has had moments against some tough matchups in Konklak Suphisara and Luana Pinheiro, but she remains in search of her first UFC win. Nunes’ UFC debut was delayed over two years due to a failed drug test, but she looked like an improved fighter after her layoff in an October loss to Ariane Carnelossi. Nunes’ pre-UFC fights marked her as a high-power, low-volume striker, and the Brazilian did at least show a much stronger commitment to output that paid off in a lot of exchanges. However, the loss did still show that she needs to shore up her wrestling and grappling to make much progress at the UFC level. This is Hughes’ most winnable UFC fight to date, as she might be able to take a grind. Still, the bet is that Nunes can land a lot of hard strikes as Hughes closes the distance—or even in the clinch once the two actually engage at close range. The pick is Nunes via decision.

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