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

Sign up for ESPN+ and watch UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Emmett

Women’s Strawweights

Gloria de Paula (6-4, 1-2 UFC) vs. Maria Oliveira (12-5, 0-1 UFC)

ODDS: de Paula (-265), Oliveira (+215)

This stands out as the least-relevant fight on a solidly deep card but should still hopefully be a good time between two Brazilian strawweights each trying to carve out their niche. De Paula impressed in earning a contract via the Contender Series in 2020, showing off a well-rounded and aggressive game, but her UFC career got off to a rough start. “Glorinha” is not a terrible athlete, but she hit a clear wall against more gifted opponents in her first two UFC bouts. Jinh Yu Frey’s wrestling controlled her without much issue, and Cheyanne Vlismas managed to catch de Paula and knock her out in just 60 seconds. Her February win over Diana Belbita was at least a nice reminder of what de Paula can do given some physical parity, but even then, it was a back-and-forth affair that showed she still lacks one clear standout skill to hang her hat on. Oliveira has hit a similar ceiling throughout her professional mixed martial arts career. Save for a 2017 win over Alyssa Garcia in Rizin Fighting Federation, “Spider Girl” has struggled greatly when presented with any step above poor competition. Her 2018 loss on the one-off Brazilian edition of the Contender Series was particularly worrying. Marina Rodriguez is now in the title contender mix, but it was still a surprise to see Oliveira essentially call their fight off herself after getting outclassed for roughly three minutes. To her credit, Oliveira did at least put in 15 minutes of work in her proper UFC debut against Tabatha Ricci in October, even if she was never really in the fight. Oliveira has some potential as an athletic striker, but nothing has clicked above a certain level of competition. Those athletic advantages may bring her success here, particularly if things suddenly come together for Oliveira, but if this is going to be a messy and relatively even fight, de Paula is the much surer bet to keep doubling down on pace and aggression. The pick is de Paula via decision.

Jump To »
Kattar vs. Emmett
Cerrone vs. Lauzon
Holland vs. Means
Duraev vs. Buckley
Ismagulov vs. Kutateladze
Rodrigues vs. Marquez
Yanez vs. Kelley
Jasudavicius vs. Cristina da Silva
McGee vs. Wells
Ramos vs. Chavez
de Paula vs. Oliveira
Stamann vs. Wineland
Hawes vs. Winn
Daukaus vs. Dolidze