Women’s Flyweights
Roxanne Modafferi (24-16) vs. Lauren Murphy (12-4)This may not be the most exciting bout, but given the relevance and the fact that both women are trusty veterans, it is a bit surprising to see it this low on the card. Modafferi is coming off one of the biggest upsets of 2020—a one-sided win over Maycee Barber. “The Happy Warrior” had a brief first stint in the UFC through Season 18 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which came at the nadir of her long career. An unathletic grappling specialist with nearly a decade in the game, it looked like women’s MMA had simply evolved beyond Modafferi’s limited skill set. However, Modafferi has been an amazing comeback story. She has gotten in much better shape while cutting down to flyweight and developed an effective, if not particularly textbook, striking game that keeps her opponents on their toes enough to implement the best parts of her game. She still has issues with athletes, which is why she was such an underdog against a physical prospect in Barber, but Modafferi stuck to her guns and left with the win, exposing her counterpart’s lack of technical depth or a backup plan. Now she pivots to a completely different opponent in Murphy, who is coming off her own big upset win—a decision victory of Andrea Lee in February. In fact, Murphy has followed a similar path to Modafferi. After scraping by as a grinder in the UFC’s bantamweight division, Murphy cut down to flyweight and vastly improved her striking. Her August win over Mara Romero Borella showed an effectiveness she did not possess before. This is an even fight, but Murphy should have the combination of physicality and technical know-how to hang with Modafferi in the clinch and on the mat, and she should be the harder hitter, to boot. The pick is Murphy via decision.
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