Preview: UFC on ESPN 37 ‘Kattar vs. Emmett’

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Women’s Flyweights

Jasmine Jasudavicius (7-1, 1-0 UFC) vs. Natalia Cristina da Silva (12-5-1, 0-0 UFC)

ODDS: Jasudavicius (-240), Silva (+195)

The UFC women’s flyweight division continues to fill out with talent, and these two fresh faces look to keep carving out a niche here. Canada’s Jasudavicius is an interesting prospect. She came to fighting late in life and is already in her early 30s, but she has some impressive physical tools to work with and is still improving rapidly at this point in her career. Jasudavicius is tall for the division, and after starting her career as a thinner fighter who briefly dropped down to strawweight, settling in as a full-time flyweight and filling out her frame has looked to pay dividends. Despite her length, Jasudavicius is most comfortable pressuring her opponents. That led to some dicey moments in her contract-earning win on the Contender Series, but even four months later, she looked more consistent in her UFC debut proper against Kay Hansen. Jasudavicius looks for a second straight UFC win against an Octagon newcomer in Cristina da Silva, who was signed in 2020 but had her debut delayed until now due to injury. Cristina da Silva has had a successful regional career in her native Brazil, so she has certainly earned this shot, though it will be interesting to see how she looks. She appears well-rounded and has some skills on the ground, but overall, her approach seems rather passive and aimless and she does not pop as a particularly impressive athlete. That well-rounded competence can cut both ways, and there is a chance that Silva shows up in much better physical form than in her past fights. This marks her return after a two and a half-year layoff, and she has gone from age 22 to 25 during that time. If Silva has put the time off to good use from a physicality and skill perspective, she could stall Jasudavicius out and cause some problems, but the Canadian essentially has to be the favorite by default given what she has shown on her own merits. The pick is Jasudavicius via decision.

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