Preview: UFC on ESPN 57 Prelims

Women’s Strawweights

Eduarda Moura (10-0, 1-0 UFC) vs. Denise Gomes (8-3, 2-2 UFC)

ODDS: Moura (-170), Gomes (+142)

Moura will likely need to round out her skills at some point, but for the time being, it’ll be interesting to see how far she can carry her single-minded approach. Moura looks to quickly take her opponents to the mat and overwhelm them, which has worked every time out in her professional career and typically in short order. However, there are some questions about her level of competition. Moura’s regional opposition wasn’t particularly strong, and even her UFC debut against Montserrat Ruiz in November was quite advantageous stylistically. To that end, Gomes makes for the first real test of Moura’s career, even as her Brazilian countrywoman tries to find her own level in the UFC. Gomes had a rapid rise from the Brazilian regional scene in 2021 to the UFC roster in 2022, and as a result, her approach is both straightforward and a bit raw, mostly built around constant pressure and looking to impose her physicality. Gomes is still a long-term prospect to watch at 24 years old, but her short-term results have been inconsistent. Meeting Yazmin Jauregui head-on and scoring a quick knockout in July was quite impressive, but she got shut out to a surprising level by Konklak Suphisara and Angela Hill in her two UFC losses. That’s enough to suggest that Moura should effectively be able to play the bully here and get things done, with the clear caveat that it could go quite south if Gomes can turn this into a tough fight for any length of time. The pick is Moura via second-round submission.

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