Preview: UFC Saudi Arabia Prelims

Women’s Flyweights

#12 WFLW | Jasmine Jasudavicius (12-3, 6-2 UFC) vs. #7 WBW | Mayra Bueno Silva (10-4-1, 5-4-1 UFC)

ODDS: Jasudavicius (-238), Bueno Silva (+195)

A former bantamweight title contender, Bueno Silva drops back down to flyweight here in an interesting gambit. Bueno Silva initially came to the UFC as a flyweight and did decently enough, but her career only truly got into gear once she moved up to 135 pounds in 2022. “Sheetara” has always been at her best as a bullying grappler, and any concern about facing stronger opponents was outweighed by her newfound skill advantage, as she racked up enough submission wins to kick off 2024 in a fight for the vacant title. The Brazilian was even favored to take the belt in a fight against Raquel Pennington, but “Rocky” wound up clearly the better fighter in the aggregate, as Bueno Silva tired herself out hunting for a finish and offered little down the stretch. A subsequent fight against Macy Chiasson figured to be a solid shot at a rebound but wound up in a loss after a fairly gnarly cut stoppage. While that result was fairly damaging to Bueno Silva’s short-term title hopes, her overall performance still suggested she was one of the top bantamweights in the UFC, which makes this cut down to 125 pounds a bit surprising. The UFC also hasn’t done her any favors, as Jasudavicius represents a tough return fight for Bueno Silva at flyweight. Jasudavicius is an overachiever, all things considered. A late starter in mixed martial arts who isn’t an elite natural athlete, the Canadian might not have a championship ceiling but has settled in as a tough out. For all her athletic issues, Jasudavicius fights with a clear plan based on pressure, banking on her durability and gas tank to outlast her foes. It’s a game plan that has worked much more often than not, even resulting in some late submissions in two of Jasudavicius’s last three victories. However, during Jasudavicius’s rare missteps, she has hit a hard wall, with Natalia Silva and Tracy Cortez each able to consistently stay a step ahead of her through strength and athleticism. Jasudavicius should be able to get her type of fight in the grand scheme of things as the much more dedicated fighter, but the question involves whether or not her usual type of fight is what she should want here. That will involve a lot of work on the ground against Bueno Silva, who looks to be the clearest submission threat Jasudavicius has ever faced in her career. The call is that the Brazilian can find a quick finish, as that looks to be her main path to victory. The pick is Bueno Silva via first-round submission.

Jump To »
Gaziev vs. Petersen
McKinney vs. Hadzovic
Jasudavicius vs. Bueno Silva
Alexander vs. Grad
Abdelwahab vs. Pogues