Preview: UFC on ESPN 33 Prelims

Women’s Flyweights

#13 WFLW | Manon Fiorot (8-1) vs. #4 WFLW | Jennifer Maia (19-8-1)

ODDS: Fiorot (-475), Maia (+350)

The women’s flyweight division continues to need contenders while Valentina Shevchenko runs through her challengers, and Fiorot might be the next fighter to make the jump into that mix. The Frenchwoman looked good against a weak level of competition prior to the UFC, and upon hitting the Octagon, it became clear that she could live up to her “Beast” nickname. Fiorot is a physical force, and as a result, she mostly outclassed Victoria Leonardo and Tabatha Ricci on route to second-round finishes. Mayra Bueno Silva was a bit of a stiffer test but one that Fiorot also clearly passed in a tough decision where she got the opportunity to show off all of her skills. The UFC has decided it is time to see if Fiorot can make the leap, so she gets her toughest test yet by far with a former title challenger in Maia. After a long and successful career, Maia quickly settled near the top of the division upon making it to the UFC with her solid but unspectacular game. The Brazilian rarely presses the issue, but she is a solid striker with strong submission skills, held together by the fact that she is one of the strongest women in the division. That made her a tough out for Shevchenko, at least by the champion’s standards. Even though Maia clearly lost four rounds, winning a grind of a second period was still more than most opponents are able to do against the flyweight queen. Maia showed a bit more evasiveness than usual in her July win over Jessica Eye, but her January loss to Katlyn Chookagian did drive home the point that, for all of her skill, she can be outmaneuvered by quicker fighters. Fiorot definitely has the skill to do so, given that Maia does not particularly apply any pressure or pace, but the question is if she can stick to an intentional game plan for 15 minutes. She can win a range kickboxing match, but there is the great risk that she will continue her trend of doing a little bit of everything and think she can overpower Maia in the clinch—something that is usually a losing proposition. Fiorot just has not had to think about opponents being able to match her on strength thus far, so it is a complete unknown as to whether or not she will factor that in and how much you want to give her the benefit of the doubt. She could just charge herself into a losing grind, but in a bit of a flier, the pick is that Fiorot fights smartly enough to take the decision.

Continue Reading » Dvorak vs. Nicolau