Women’s Flyweights
Andrea Lee (11-2, -225) vs. Joanne Calderwood (13-4, +185): It seems a bit out of place with the overall flavor of this card, but this is still a crucial bout as the UFC’s women's flyweight division starts to sort itself out. The move up to 125 pounds, along with a concurrent move to Las Vegas, has done wonders for Calderwood. Her relative non-athleticism is less of an issue against slower opposition, and she has been able to focus on a more well-rounded game that contains some grappling to supplement her striking. After a close and controversial loss to Katlyn Chookagian -- her first at flyweight -- Calderwood looks to remain a contender against Lee, who is also beginning to come into her own. Lee was the victim of some tough matchmaking in Invicta Fighting Championships early in her career -- she was booked against Roxanne Modafferi in only her third pro fight -- but the Louisiana native is starting to round out things around her muay Thai base. This should be a fun scrap, but it is Lee’s fight to lose thanks to her physical advantages. Both women excel in the clinch, but Lee figures to be more powerful and physical, and she also has the better ability to dictate the range on the feet. Calderwood has paths to victory, as she will be a bit quicker on the feet and more of a submission threat, but in a fight with somewhat similar fighters, this looks like a bout where Lee’s athleticism will serve as a bit of a cheat code. The pick is Lee via decision.Advertisement
Featherweights
Zubaira Tukhugov (18-4, -550) vs. Lerone Murphy (5-0, +425): This marks Tukhugov’s long-overdue return to the Octagon, as he has been out of action since a 2016 loss to Renato Carneiro. He was partially responsible for the long break, however. First came a flagged drug test, and as Tukhugov was set to return from suspension, he was put on ice thanks to his involvement in the UFC 229 brawl. However, with some fights falling through on this card, he became a late addition against a debuting British prospect in Murphy. It will be interesting to see if Tukhugov shows anything new since his last appearance. While he won more often than not, his reliance on countering with heavy strikes tends to make things nip-tuck on the scorecards if the Russian fails to earn a knockout. Murphy is an athletic talent with some speed and power of his own, so he could hang around and make this a close fight, but it is difficult not to favor Tukhugov. Even with the long layoff, he still represents a huge jump in level of competition for Murphy. The pick is Tukhugov via decision.Women’s Bantamweights
Liana Jojua (7-2, -150) vs. Sarah Moras (5-5, +130): Moras won two of her first three UFC fights but did not seem to be set up for sustained success. She won a narrow decision over Alexis Dufresne mostly by working off her back, then beat Ashlee Evans-Smith with an unexpected armbar. However, Moras has not had a win in the two years since. She is a more willing striker, for better or for worse, and has had trouble getting by as an aggressive but unathletic grappling specialist. She will take on Georgia’s Jojua, who makes her UFC debut but is generally in the same boat as a submission artist who may not be able to fully hack it at the highest level. This should be a mess of scrambles that can go either way. The coinflip pick is Jojua via decision due to what seems to be superior cardio.Lightweights
Ottman Azaitar (11-0, -220) vs. Teemu Packalen (8-2, +180): It is a pleasant surprise to see Packalen back in the Octagon, as the Finn has been out of action since a 30-second loss to Marc Diakiese in early 2017. All in all, given that Packalen was coming off a quick win before that fight, he has logged just 54 seconds of cage time since his UFC debut in 2015. Here, he will welcome the brother of middleweight Abu Azaitar to the UFC. Azaitar is a solid enough power puncher, though there are some questions about how he will do against a better level of competition. There is a chance that Azaitar sparks Packalen, particularly if the Finn shows any ill effects from the layoff, but the UFC veteran is a much larger fighter and should be able to stay out of danger until he can take things to the mat. The pick is Packalen via first-round submission.Last Fights » ESPN+ Prelims
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