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Women’s Flyweights

Miranda Maverick (7-2) vs. Mara Romero Borella (11-8)

ODDS: Maverick (-300), Borella (+250)

After three losses in a row, Italy’s Borella is firmly in make-or-break territory. She surprised in her UFC debut back in 2017, quickly running through Kalindra Faria but has not come close to replicating that performance in the years since. On paper, Borella is a powerhouse who can do a bit of everything, but lack of success has seemed to drain her confidence. Rather than being willing to press forward and run through her opponents, Borella is a relatively static clinch artist and punches one shot at a time. She will look to break her skid against a promotional newcomer in Maverick, who has been one of the better flyweight prospects in Invicta Fighting Championships. Maverick is still more of a long-term play, as her striking remains a work in progress, but she has been able to rely on strong wrestling and a stout submission game to earn wins. It will be interesting to see how that plays against Borella, as the Italian figures to be a stronger fighter. While Borella is coming off of a submission loss to Cortney Casey, Maverick rarely catches opponents out of nowhere and tends to need control to clamp on her submissions. There is a chance that Borella stalls out the newcomer, but it is difficult not to pick Maverick just for the fact that she will be willing to move forward and press her offense. The pick is Maverick via decision.

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