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Women’s Bantamweights
#11 WBW | Pannie Kianzad (14-5, 3-2 UFC) vs. NR | Alexis Davis (20-10, 7-5 UFC)ODDS: Kianzad (-190), Davis (+165)
This should be a solid fight, as Davis looks to continue her return to the weight class where she has found the most success. A longtime bantamweight standout, Davis cut down to flyweight in 2017 and won a close decision against fellow former bantamweight Liz Carmouche. However, success did not really follow for Davis in her new division. After dropping contentious decisions to Katlyn Chookagian and Jennifer Maia, her lack of athleticism saw her on the clear losing end of a bout against Viviane Araujo. Between the losing streak, missing all of 2020 and the fact that Davis does not have an aesthetically impressive style, she went into her February bout with Sabina Mazo as one of the more underrated fighters on the distaff side of the UFC roster. Davis reminded everyone, particularly Mazo, of the skills that have given her such a long and successful career, as she handily won a wrestling-heavy affair. The Mazo fight saw both women move up from flyweight, and it was unclear if that was just a one-off or Davis re-planting her flag at 135 pounds. It appears to be the latter, as she returns here. Kianzad was tabbed as a top prospect back around 2015, but her career progression went sideways for a bit, as an aversion to pressure popped up as a constant issue, whether it appeared to mentally break her in earlier fights or just left her on the defensive in recent years. Kianzad seems to have worked through a lot of those issues—her most recent wins over Bethe Correia and Sijara Eubanks were not victories she would have gotten in years previous—but Davis feels like a big ask. Kianzad was able to leverage her athletic advantages against Correia, and Eubanks found plenty of success with her own strength and pressure before tiring out. Davis seems much likelier to keep that type of fight up and should be able to drag Kianzad into grimy exchanges. The pick is Davis via decision.
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