Preview: UFC Fight Night 144 ‘Assuncao vs. Moraes 2’

Women’s Strawweights

Livinha Souza (12-1) vs. Sarah Frota (9-0)

ODDS: Souza (-225), Frota (+185)

It took her less than five years from her pro debut to reach the UFC, but it still feels like the promotion waited a while to sign Souza, given that she had established herself as a top strawweight in even shorter order. Souza has about everything you could ask for in a rising young fighter. She has an exciting fight style, the ability to finish bouts on the feet and on the ground and she absolutely oozes swagger, making her one of the most charismatic competitors on the roster during her time in Invicta Fighting Championships. There are some concerns, however. While Souza has an impressive combination of speed and power on the feet, her striking is also absolutely wild and open to be countered by a more technical fighter. Plus, given that she cuts very little if any weight, there is also some worry about how much Souza can impose her will against the stronger athletes in the division. Those issues can be addressed down the road. For now, she has a fun but dangerous fight ahead of her, as she looks to turn away an organizational newcomer in Frota.

Frota comes off of the Brazilian version of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series, where her obliteration of Maiara Amanajas dos Santos made her look like an absolute killer. While Frota is indeed a rare level of powerhouse at strawweight, thus far she has mostly used that to score submission wins via overpowering her foes. Frota is less than three years into her pro career, and it shows. Her offense can be absolutely wild at times, and her gas tank can be questionable if she does not get those immediate finishes. Actually, that means Frota is in the typical mold of a lot of the prospects UFC President Dana White has signed through his reality shows, the only difference being that such a powerhouse model is so rare to see at 115 pounds.

Despite Souza having the much more visible and decorated career, Frota could cause her a ton of trouble. Both women are wild on the feet and capable of knocking each other out, and Frota is exactly the type of physical force that can stifle a lot of the grappling Souza will want to execute; at least that is true for a round. The main concern here is Frota’s ability to keep the pace that Souza will set, and if the newcomer cannot blitz Souza and get the quick finish, this becomes a fight where the former Invicta champion can keep widening the gap. She will probably have to make it through some early trouble, but Souza should be able to wear out Frota on the feet in the later rounds. The pick is Souza via decision.

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