Women’s Featherweights
Megan Anderson (9-3) vs. Felicia Spencer (6-0)ODDS: Anderson (-150), Spencer (+130)
Even with Cristiane Justino unseated as champion, it looks like the UFC is continuing with its women’s featherweight division, as the organization has signed a few fighters and put together some matchups. That is good news for Anderson since she was basically the one true featherweight on the roster outside of “Cyborg.” Anderson is a talented but frustrating prospect due to her physical gifts. She is a gigantic striker with knockout power, and that is about it. The Aussie does not seem to have much of a game plan, as she often chooses to plod forward and hit her opponent hard. To her credit, that has worked most of the time, but her UFC debut against Holly Holm exposed all the holes in Anderson’s game, particularly her terrible defensive wrestling. Her last fight against Cat Zingano figured to answer some questions about Anderson’s ability to hang against better competition, but instead, the fight ended in about a minute when she managed to kick Zingano directly in the eye. In her latest assignment, she faces a true featherweight for the first time in her UFC career, as she takes on Spencer -- the woman who succeeded her as the Invicta Fighting Championships featherweight titleholder.
Spencer is an interesting prospect, but it speaks to the lack of depth at featherweight that she became Invicta champion just as she seems to finally be figuring out things. Spencer will be the much shorter and stouter fighter here, and her striking is more creative than effective. With that said, her title-clinching victory against Pam Sorenson showed that the “Feenom” is learning to rely more and more on the bread and butter of her wrestling. Rather than mess around on the feet like she did in previous fights, Spencer doggedly pursued takedowns and eventually tapped a fellow grinder, which was a positive step for someone still so fresh in the sport. Spencer has basically only been fighting regularly for two years, so there is a ton of potential associated with her, even if the future of the division in which she competes is quite cloudy.
This is a simple fight to break down. Either Spencer gets this to the mat and works for a quick finish, or Anderson knocks her out before she gets the chance. It would have been an easier call even a few months ago. Before the Sorenson bout in November, Spencer was willing enough to try and fight flashy on the feet, which would have gotten her dispatched by Anderson in short order. However, with her newfound willingness to immediately make things ugly, it is a much closer call. This is basically a pick-’em, but Anderson is much more of an athlete and has that massive size advantage. The pick is Anderson via first-round stoppage.
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