Women's Strawweights
Piera Rodriguez (8-0) vs. Sam Hughes (7-4)ODDS: Rodriguez (-170), Hughes (+145)
It's nice to see Sam Hughes turn things around and find some momentum in the UFC, given that at one point it looked like "Sampage" would slide out of the promotion in short order. Hughes got the late-notice call at the tail end of 2020, a point that felt much too early in her career to move up a level; Hughes was a promising prospect with a solid pressure-based approach, but still looked raw less than two years into her pro career. Compounding things, that late-notice debut came against perennial fringe contender Tecia Torres, who shredded Hughes en route to a doctor stoppage after the first round. From there, Hughes had her moments but struggled to find success against more experienced foes and better athletes until this past spring, where she was able to successfully march down Istela Nunes before out-wrestling Elise Reed just a month later. Hughes has turned a corner at just the right time to keep her spot on the roster, and it'll be interesting to see what she can show here against promising prospect Piera Rodriguez. Venezuela's "La Fiera" had a breakout 2021, winning LFA's strawweight title before turning around and dominating Valesca Machado to earn a UFC contract on the Contender Series, a win that continues to age well. Rodriguez's game is all about consistent power, and her UFC debut win over Kay Hansen in April showed some impressive signs about her ability to impose herself on opponents; for all of Hansen's flaws, she's a solid wrestler that only found one round of success against Rodriguez. Hughes's sheer persistence may cause some issues for Rodriguez and tire her out a bit thanks to pace, but this feels like a fight where these two will clash head-on and the Venezuelan will prove herself the stronger fighter. It could be grimy, but the pick is Rodriguez via decision.
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Rodriguez vs. Hughes
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