Women’s Bantamweights
Jessica-Rose Clark (11-7, 4-3 UFC) vs. Julija Stoliarenko (9-6-2, 0-4 UFC)This should be a solid enough fight, mostly centered around whether or not Clark can get back on track. “Jessy Jess” got on the greater MMA radar early in her career with her Invicta Fighting Championships debut in 2015, but she was hard to peg for a few years. She could do a little bit of everything but was not much of an athlete and did not have a consistent approach to her game, leading to a series of close fights and what felt like a clear ceiling. However, during the pandemic era of the UFC, even while Clark suffered some injury layoffs, the Australian seemed to finally channel things into a clearer gameplan. Now committed to bantamweight on a full-time basis, Clark bulked up and was able to make do as a strong and solid pressure fighter with a particular focus on wrestling. That led her to dominant wins over Sarah Alpar and Joselyne Edwards, even if the latter was an interminable control-heavy affair. However, things suddenly went south in February against Stephanie Egger, as Clark charged right into the submission skills that serve as Egger’s biggest strength. Clark looks to rebound from the first defeat via finish in her career, and she gets a similar challenge in Stoliarenko. Lithuania’s Stoliarenko had a one-fight stint—she lost to Leah Letson—in the UFC following her appearance on “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2018. Before and after, most of Stoliarenko’s success came via first-round armbar finishes, until she got the UFC call once again in 2020. Stoliarenko has done well to at least be a willing brawler who can gut through punishment, and she does seem to be rounding things out from fight to fight. That has not garnered her much success in the UFC to date, but it could mean she closes the gap enough against Clark to eke out a win. Still, Stoliarenko only looks to have one clear path to victory, and Clark seems like the type of fighter to learn from the submission loss rather than leave that type of opening once again. It could be grimy, but the pick is Clark via decision.
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Du Plessis vs. Tavares
Hall vs. Muniz
Barber vs. Eye
Clark vs. Stoliarenko