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Women’s Bantamweights

Jacqueline Cavalcanti (6-1, 1-0 UFC) vs. Josiane Nunes (10-2, 3-1 UFC)

ODDS: Cavalcanti (-192), Nunes (+160)

It has been impressive to watch Nunes skate by her opponents to mostly have a successful UFC career thus far. “Josi” is shorter than most strawweights but built thickly enough to fight as a viable featherweight, and she takes a fairly one-note approach, swinging power punches while accomplishing little else. That has been enough to feast on the lower stretches of the UFC’s heavier female weight classes. The knockouts dried up after a particularly brutal win in her UFC debut against Bea Malecki, but nobody has been able to stand and trade with Nunes for three rounds and come out the victor. However, Nunes’ flaws finally came back to bite her in terms of results in March. Chelsea Chandler was tough enough to eat Nunes’ offense and pursue her dogged wrestling game, which allowed her to neutralize the Brazilian and come out ahead on the scorecards. Nunes looks to rebound against Cavalcanti, a fellow Brazilian who trains out of and represents Portugal. Cavalcanti has been solid but unspectacular in her professional career thus far. Combined with her relative youth, that’s enough for the UFC to take the flier in a thin division badly in need of some depth. Primarily a striker, Cavalcanti has a bit more technique and patience to her approach than Nunes, though she can manage to strike with a bit of power herself. Cavalcanti has clear size advantage, and the fact that she has some striking technique might make her the smart pick. Still, she has tended to look uncomfortable at times in the face of power and aggression, and Nunes certainly brings that to the table. Add in that Cavalcanti doesn’t seem to wrestle, and this could prove to be a tricky matchup. The pick is Nunes via decision.

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