Preview: UFC Fight Night 224 Prelims

Women's Strawweights

Shauna Bannon (5-0) vs. Bruna Brasil (8-3-1)
Odds: Brasil (-150), Bannon (+130)

Brasil finds herself in a tenuous spot surprisingly quickly here. The Brazilian obviously had some things to work on but looked ready to hang at a UFC level in winning her fight on the Contender Series last year; having taken her lumps early in her pro career, Brasil had developed into a reedy striker capable of setting range with her kicks and showing solid enough work in the clinch to get by in close quarters. And then Brasil's UFC debut came, where Denise Gomes mostly charged through Brasil's offense and blew her game wide open. It's admittedly a loss that looks much better with Gomes's subsequent success but does raise some worry that Brasil may not find enough time to work out the kinks while on the UFC roster, heading into this fight against Irish newcomer Shauna Bannon. Less than a year and a half into her pro career, Bannon's a worthy flier as a personality with some potential; a tall kickboxer herself, "Mama B" is mostly down to scrap while showing some sharp flashes when given time and space to work. That comes with the typical drawbacks for a raw striking-heavy prospect, namely in the form of her takedown defense, but Bannon's a willing enough grappler that things aren't entirely a lost cause if she gets taken to the mat. Still, this is a fight between two long strikers that might be decided by who is the better wrestler, which essentially looks to be a coin flip at this point. If nothing else, however, Bannon is going to be able to dictate the terms of this bout with her aggression and should be more comfortable while getting her type of fight. That could just lead to Brasil grinding this out in close quarters, but the pick is Bannon via decision.

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