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Women’s Bantamweights

NR | Bea Malecki (4-0, 2-0 UFC) vs. NR | Josiane Nunes (7-1, 0-0 UFC)

ODDS: Malecki (-160), Nunes (+140)

Sweden’s Malecki has some tools with which to work in a bantamweight division deeply in need of prospects. At 5-foot-9, she has a large frame for the division that reads as even longer, and she has shown the durability and aggression to make the best of her natural talents. However, as an inexperienced pro with a muay Thai background, Malecki’s awkwardness and lack of defense mean that she gives back a lot of her gains on offense. Malecki's fights usually contain at least one or two moments where she has to charge through damage in order to turn the tables on her opponent. To her credit, she has been willing and able to do so thus far, and that pattern will likely continue against a Brazilian newcomer. A short and squat tank of a fighter, Nunes brings a power mindset to the cage, looking to overwhelm her opponent with her physicality or knockout power. The former trait has not always worked out in her favor—some of Nunes’ regional fights saw her get controlled in clinch or wrestling exchanges before turning things around—but the finishing ability has played every step of the way. Even Nunes’ messiest performances tend to end with her sleeping her opponent with one or two big shots. She could just blast Malecki, but the Swede’s ability to wade through damage—as well as the massive size difference—figures to carry her until the point where she can take over and start swamping Nunes with some volume of her own. The pick is Malecki via third-round stoppage.

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