Preview: UFC on ESPN 54 Prelims

Women’s Flyweights

Melissa Gatto (8-2-2, 2-2 UFC) vs. Victoria Dudakova (8-0, 2-0 UFC)

ODDS: Gatto (-155), Dudakova (+130)

This might not be a barnburner, but it is at least a well-matched fight between two flyweights with something to prove. Dudakova was a fascinating signing when the UFC picked her up on Dana White’s Contender Series, but the Russian was especially unproven. Her regional film saw her win through some dogged wrestling and grappling that was not particularly dominant, and her Contender Series win in 2022 was a control-heavy slog. However, the UFC apparently decided to reward the fact that Dudakova found the win despite tearing her ACL early, though upon her comeback, there are still a lot of questions about her game. Her UFC debut essentially did not happen, as she won via injury stoppage in just 34 seconds, and a sophomore effort against Jinh Yu Frey was a mixed bag. Dudakova’s wrestling got her nowhere, but she was able to outpoint an anemic Frey on the feet in a fight that said a lot more about her opponent. Maybe a breakout performance comes against Gatto, who is her own example of unexpected improvement. Signed as a bantamweight, Gatto’s UFC debut was repeatedly delayed due to various issues, to the point that it eventually came after a three-year layoff. Expectations were not high once the Brazilian finally did step into the Octagon, as her regional footage was particularly poor. Those fights showed Gatto to be an unathletic grappler who often looked overmatched and had good luck in terms of judging, which made it a shock that she was an effective fighter in her UFC debut. She was helped a great deal due to her cut down to flyweight, and she apparently took the time off to develop a pot-shotting striking game that could be effective in moments. Even with those improvements, Gatto has hit a clear ceiling in her last few fights. Tracy Cortez outwrestled Gatto handily and stayed out of submissions, while her decision loss to Ariane Lipski was a shockingly passive affair that suggests she might struggle to take the initiative if her opponent does not press the issue. That makes for a bizarre matchup against Dudakova since Gatto is probably the better fighter in the aggregate but might have some stylistic issues. Dudakova’s own length and rudimentary striking game might frustrate the Brazilian on the feet, and if she leans on her wrestling, Gatto is prone to hunting for submissions from her back and losing rounds as a result. Even with that, Gatto is still the more trustworthy fighter, but this figures to be ugly. The pick is Gatto via decision.

Jump To »
Emmers vs. Landwehr
Godinez vs. Jandiroba
Arce vs. Burns
Buzukja vs. Matthews
Aslan vs. Turkalj
Gatto vs. Dudakova
Malkoun vs. Petroski
Loughran vs. Pacheco