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Women’s Strawweights
NR | Emily Whitmire (4-4, 2-3 UFC) vs. NR | Hannah Goldy (5-2, 0-2 UFC)ODDS: Whitmire (-117), Goldy (-103)
This is a well-made fight between two strawweights who badly need a win. The all-women’s flyweight season of “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2017 had its share of raw prospects, Whitmire among them. After losing her UFC debut to castmate Gillian Robertson, “Spitfire” cut down to 115 pounds and looked to turn a corner. Wins over Jamie Moyle and Aleksandra Albu were decisive, but Whitmire then had the bad fortune of being matched against Amanda Ribas in the Brazilian’s UFC debut. That one-sided loss has aged well, but with Whitmire’s lone fight in the last two years being a quick submission loss to Polyana Viana, she could use the momentum that a win against Goldy would provide. Goldy won a clear decision on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019, and everyone seemed in agreement that she needed more seasoning before getting her shot on the UFC roster; naturally, she was signed roughly a month later when the promotion needed someone for a late-notice fight. Goldy is a physical specimen, but her approach is a bit ill-fitting for her attributes. Despite being a muscular tank of a fighter, Goldy seems to be at her most comfortable throwing single powerful strikes from range rather than leveraging her strength. Even so, this seems like her best chance at a win in the UFC, as Whitmire will likely play right into her hands. Whitmire does not have the length to keep Goldy at bay herself, and her own tendency to crash into her opponents for wrestling and grappling exchanges figures to just get her overpowered and controlled; and despite Goldy reading as the much more hesitant fighter, she actually throws at a higher pace, even if that is skewed a bit by Whitmire’s willingness to immediately try and take things to the mat. A submission is Whitmire’s best chance at a win, and Goldy appears strong enough and mindful enough to head that off at the pass. The pick is Goldy via decision.