Preview: UFC Fight Night 245 Prelims

Tom FeelyOct 16, 2024


Women's Bantamweights
Joselyne Edwards (13-6) vs. Tamires Vidal (7-3)
Odds: Edwards (-258), Vidal (+210)

Two bantamweights look to snap their losing streaks here. Joselyne Edwards has been a frustrating talent during her time in the UFC, given that she has some high upside due to her athleticism but has found little success in terms of putting everything together. Initially a fairly aimless striker, Edwards has done well to add some wrestling to her game, so she's well-rounded in a sense; she tries a lot of things offensively but doesn't string things together consistently enough to control her opponents, which then typically leads to them exposing her clear defensive liabilities, particularly when it comes to her wrestling. It's an overall package that leads to a lot of close fights, and a recent three-fight winning streak was cause for some hope that Edwards could keep skating by until things finally click; but her luck has now corrected with two close losses, and it's also hard to say there's been much in the way of evolution. At any rate, she still seems to have more going for her than Tamires Vidal at the moment. Brazil's Vidal was a decent enough flier for the UFC to take - given the state of the division, it's worth signing anyone with athleticism and finishing potential - but she hasn't done much since debuting with a knockout win over Tamires Vidal in 2022, looking flat in losses to Montserrat Rendon and Melissa Gatto. Vidal could find some success bullying Edwards as the more physical fighter, but Edwards is much faster and might actually be able to consistently out-wrestle the Brazilian, so she gets the nod here in what could be a messy bout; the pick is Edwards via decision.

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