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Women’s Bantamweights

NR | Josiane Nunes (7-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. NR | Zarah Fairn dos Santos (6-4, 0-2 UFC)

ODDS: Nunes (-125), Fairn dos Santos (+105)

France’s Fairn dos Santos was picked up as part of whatever passes as the UFC’s women's featherweight division, and that did not go particularly well for her. She was a decent enough striker on the regional scene but often fought at bantamweight and relied on some physical advantages that just were not present with the move up to 145 pounds. Megan Anderson managed to bully and even submit her, and things did not go much better against Felicia Spencer in Fairn dos Santos’ sophomore appearance. Thankfully, she gets a shot in the UFC at bantamweight this time around, as she faces a Brazilian newcomer. Nunes is a stocky fighter whose main strength is her willingness to throw bombs. Her regional footage is littered with some middling performances—until Nunes connects with a big shot and decides to put away her opponent with a wild flurry. If Nunes showed any sort of an offensive clinch or wrestling game, she would be the pick, given that she seems to have some physicality and Fairn dos Santos typically looks to the clinch as a safety valve. However, Nunes has been outwrestled by unimpressive regional opposition and gotten tired in the process, so this figures to be an ugly grind that Fairn dos Santos can take over down the stretch. The threat of the knockout is the one big issue for the Frenchwoman, but she has seemed durable enough. The pick is Fairn dos Santos via decision.

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