Preview: UFC on ESPN 57 Prelims

Women’s Strawweights

Rayanne dos Santos (14-7, 0-1 UFC) vs. Puja Tomar (8-4, 0-0 UFC)

ODDS: Dos Santos (-245), Tomar (+200)

Tomar makes some history here as the first Indian woman to fight in the UFC, and it’ll be interesting to see if she can find any success. Tomar didn’t accomplish much in a previous stint with ONE Championship, but she at least rebounded to rack up four straight wins on the regional scene. Her competition wasn’t the best, but she at least showed some finishing ability when she decided to abandon her patience and swarm her opponents. Dos Santos makes for a solid first litmus test to see how Tomar will fare going forward, if only because the Brazilian is a former atomweight who ranks among the least physically imposing fighters in the UFC’s strawweight division. Dos Santos was barely tested as a professional before her 2022 appearance on the Contender Series—a game effort in a loss to Denise Gomes—and she seemingly found her calling after cutting down to 105 pounds and becoming Invicta Fighting Championships’ atomweight titleholder. However, the UFC came calling, and while she’ll likely find herself overmatched in the long run back at 115 pounds, her debut in December was a promising start. It was a decision loss to Talita Alencar that dos Santos seemingly should’ve had well in hand, but she acquitted herself well against a powerful if limited athlete. Tomar might succeed in causing some chaos, but she appears technically overmatched in a fight with some physical parity. The pick is dos Santos via decision.

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Dos Santos vs. Tomar