Preview: UFC 252 ‘Miocic vs. Cormier 3’ Prelims

Women’s Strawweights

Livinha Souza (13-2) vs. Ashley Yoder (7-5):

Odds: Souza (-150), Yoder (+130)

When Souza hit the UFC in 2018, it seemed certain that she would make an impact, even in a deep strawweight division. After all, she had shown knockout power and slick submission skills during her successful run in Invicta and backed it up with more swagger and confidence than anyone else at 115 pounds. However, after blowing Alex Chambers out of the water in her UFC debut, she has endured a surprisingly rocky tenure inside the Octagon. The narrow margin of her win over Sarah Frota raised some questions about her ability to handle larger opponents, and her last bout—a loss to Brianna Van Buren—was a shockingly bad look. Souza just did not seem to have much of an answer for Van Buren’s physicality, and the wildness of her striking got brought out in all the worst ways. She will look to rebound against Yoder, who is also looking to prove herself. Yoder obviously improved throughout her first three UFC fights, but they were all losses, so it was surprising to see the promotion stick with her in a way that it has not with most fighters. Yoder strung together two straight wins, including a career-best performance against Syuri Kondo, before losing a split decision to Randa Markos in October. Now, it becomes a case of Yoder showing she can get over the hump against a fighter at Souza’s level. This should be an interesting fight wherever it takes place. Yoder should be the better boxer, but Souza’s wild aggression and power on the feet can be a problem at times, and both women are at their best on the mat. Yoder has looked good recently, and given that she has never been finished, she seems to have the combination of size and wherewithal to control Souza on the ground and not pay for it. The pick is Yoder via decision.

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