Preview: UFC on ESPN 12 ‘Poirier vs. Hooker’ Prelims

Women’s Strawweights

Kay Hansen (6-3) vs. Jinh Yu Frey (9-4)

ODDS: Hansen (-135), Frey (+115)

This is an interesting fight between UFC newcomers, especially when considering it was thrown together at the last minute. It is a surprise to see Frey inside of the Octagon. She has been a solid fighter for years but looked like exactly the type of fighter—a well-rounded decision machine—the UFC typically passes on, even before considering that she has spent her career at atomweight. She moves up in weight to take on Hansen, who has taken a much quicker route to the UFC. While Frey is already one of the older strawweights on the roster, Hansen is the youngest woman in the UFC at just 20 years old. Hansen is still an extremely raw and limited prospect. She is a talented submission artist, but her wrestling is not quite overwhelming enough to the point of being effective, even if she stays aggressive over three rounds. As a result, this all comes down to how well Frey’s style translates up a division. The former Invicta champion is usually content to move backwards and look for counters, relying on her clinch game to get her out of trouble once she is against the fence. She will probably run into issues against larger fighters who can just nullify her grappling, and her punching power figures to be less effective against bigger opponents. However, Hansen looks like a forgiving matchup. The Californian is not an overwhelming athlete, and her game is so limited that Frey should be able to win handily on the feet. There is a chance that Hansen just pins the former Invicta champion against the fence and grinds out a win, but the pick is for Frey to cause more damage and take the decision.

Finish Reading » Zalal vs. Griffin