Preview: UFC Fight Night 223 Prelims

Women’s Flyweights

Natalia Silva (14-5-1, 2-0 UFC) vs. Victoria Leonardo (9-4, 1-2 UFC)

ODDS: Silva (-800), Leonardo (+575)

Silva is one of the more interesting prospects in the flyweight division, even if the Brazilian is clearly still a work in progress. Coming into the UFC after a two and a half-year layoff, Silva showed up in impressive form for her promotional debut in 2022, outmaneuvering Jasmine Jasudavicius as the much quicker fighter and coasting to a clear decision win. However, a follow-up effort against Tereza Bleda showed some of the decision-making issues that plagued parts of Silva’s regional career. She was still able to tire Bleda out and score a highlight-reel knockout late in the fight, but she spent a lot of time wrestling with a much stronger opponent in what was mostly a losing effort. If Silva can channel some consistency, she is capable of making a run to title contender status, which adds some intrigue to what she will show in this outing. Leonardo upset the much more hyped Chelsea Hackett on Dana White’s Contender Series to earn a contract in 2020 but struggled to turn her doggedness into much success in her first two UFC fights. Manon Fiorot and Melissa Gatto each proved to be much better than expected in their respective UFC debuts against Leonardo, leaving “Fury” to take some injury recovery time coming out of each fight. Things finally came together for a win over Mandy Bohm in July, showing that Leonardo’s combination of well-roundedness and aggression can at least earn her some wins over the lower levels of the UFC roster. Still, Leonardo is not much of an athlete, and Silva has already shown the ability to leverage her own athletic ability into a dominant win. Even if Silva takes the worst approach possible to winning this fight, she should be able to come out on top in the striking and grappling exchanges, and she even has a decent shot at finding a finish. The pick is Silva via second-round stoppage.

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