Preview: UFC 314 Prelims

Women’s Bantamweights

Nora Cornolle (8-2, 2-1 UFC) vs. Hailey Cowan (7-3, 0-1 UFC)

ODDS: Cornolle (-192), Cowan (+160)

The Cowan Experiment hasn’t exactly worked out thus far. She was a flier worth taking after an unspectacular win on the Contender Series in 2022. A former high-level gymnast with a ton of horsepower, “All Hail” was obviously raw but had the physicality to turn into something while checking a lot of boxes in terms of marketability. Injuries and personal issues have mostly kept her out of the cage, and her only fight since that Contender Series win—now nearly three years ago—was a dispiriting loss to Jamey-Lyn Horth, where Cowan wasn’t able to turn her physical gifts into much success against a natural flyweight. Two years after her last bout, Cowan has hopefully put her time off to good use since Cornolle isn’t exactly a step back in competition.

Like Cowan, France’s Cornolle has mostly gotten by on her physical strength while figuring things out, but she has progressed much quicker than her American counterpart. A striker by background, Cornolle has had some knockout power in her back pocket while developing a ground game that has been ugly but effective. It’s hard to say Cornolle’s wins are often all that clean, but she makes it work through her toughness, with Jacqueline Cavalcanti—who currently has a case as one of the better bantamweight prospects—being the only woman to beat the Frenchwoman thus far. Perhaps Cowan comes into this fight with a newfound fire and focus, but based on all available evidence, Cornolle should be able to outlast her and break this fight open at some point. The pick is Cornolle via second-round stoppage.

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Cornolle vs. Cowan