Preview: UFC Fight Night 232 Prelims

Women’s Bantamweights

Ailin Perez (8-2, 1-1 UFC) vs. Lucie Pudilova (14-8, 3-6 UFC)

ODDS: Perez (-180), Pudilova (+150)

For two unranked fighters in a thin division, this has the potential to be enjoyable. Pudilova’s first stint in the UFC was more entertaining than successful. The Czech scrapper pressed the action over the course of seven fights but came out the losing end in terms of the ensuing offense, thanks in part to a lack of physicality. After getting released in 2020, Pudilova returned two years later as a better-honed fighter. Her style still similarly revolved around a lot of aggression, but she is technically sharper and more willing to pivot to a wrestling game when needed. That paid off quite well in her return fight against Yanan Wu, but she surprisingly dropped an April bout to Joselyne Edwards. The surprise was not so much in terms of the result but that Pudilova lost the fight thanks to prioritizing control over effective offense. She will look to keep pace with Argentina’s Perez, who will bring the fight to Pudilova if nothing else. Perez feels like the second coming of Bethe Correia—a subpar athlete with supreme confidence in her own abilities. In Perez’s case, that is an absolutely relentless wrestling game. Hopes were not high that her skills would translate well from the Argentinian regional scene to the UFC, but Perez has acquitted herself well in two trips to the Octagon thus far, giving Stephanie Egger a tougher time than expected before getting submitted, then putting Ashlee Evans-Smith through the ringer in July. It would not be a shock if Perez won this through sheer bullheadedness, but Pudilova looks capable of holding her own in any wrestling exchanges and is the much more effective fighter on the feet. The pick is Pudilova via decision.

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