Preview: UFC Fight Night 193 ‘Santos vs. Walker’

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Women’s Bantamweights

#3 WBW | Aspen Ladd (9-1, 4-1 UFC) vs. #11 WBW | Macy Chiasson (7-1, 5-1 UFC)

ODDS: Ladd (-220), Chiasson (+180)

Two of the UFC’s more promising 135-pound female prospects clash in this one. Ladd seems to have favored status when it comes to the UFC attempting to make her a contender. It came as a surprise when she got a headlining nod opposite Germaine de Randamie two years ago, but she has been an established main card fighter since. Of course, that de Randamie fight also highlighted the major flaw in Ladd’s game, as the Dutchwoman knocked her out in just 16 seconds. Up to that point, Ladd had mostly gotten by on favoring strength and aggression over any sort of defense, and that approach worked well. Ladd proved to be a dominant physical force with a particular penchant for a strong ground-and-pound game that could turn advantages into finishes. Then came the de Randamie bout, and Ladd’s subsequent fight against Yana Kunitskaya was a mixed bag. She struggled a bit in a relatively even slog of a fight for two rounds, then refocused her aggression and scored a knockout just 33 seconds into the third frame. Ladd then shredded her knee while training for her next fight, so she returns here from nearly two years off to face Chiasson.

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The winner of Season 28 of “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2018, Chiasson is also a prospect who has leaned on pressure and aggression to get most of her wins. Early in her UFC run and early in her professional career overall, Chiasson’s size was enough to swamp opponents, enough so that she basically had no backup plan when Lina Lansberg managed to withstand her assault and grind out a physical victory. Chiasson does seem to have had a lot of the right ideas in her two fights since, even if she is still obviously trying to figure some things out. She tired badly in a one-sided win over Shanna Young, and while that was not a concern in her last bout against Marion Reneau, the latter is also the exact type of slow-paced opponent who would give Chiasson enough time and space to succeed in her new approach. There is a chance that this is the fight where things totally click for Chiasson, but even if that is not the case, she could still get a big win. Ladd’s aggression and lack of defense, combined with whatever ring rust exists, could just lead to her charging directly into a Chiasson knockout punch. However, if Ladd can get the ball rolling to any sort of degree, she should be able to ride that momentum to a victory. She should be able to control this fight as the better wrestler, and her gas tank is much more proven. This could be messy, but the pick is Ladd via decision.

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