Preview: UFC on ESPN 53 Prelims

Women’s Bantamweights

Dariya Zheleznyakova (8-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Montserrat Rendon (6-0, 1-0 UFC)

ODDS: Zheleznyakova (-218), Rendon (+180)

This bout between bantamweight hopefuls has some potential for action. Mexico’s Rendon comes from a grappling background, but that has rarely come through in her fights. Instead, “Monster” has mostly gotten by with a straightforward and consistent boxing game. Rendon has some obvious physical strength, but it has not translated to much in the way of knockout power, with each of her wins coming via decision and often seeming closer than they need to be. On the plus side, Rendon mixed in some wrestling in her UFC debut victory over Tamires Vidal that should serve her well going forward. Rendon does have a lot with which to work as a prospect, though there is a concern that making her professional debut at age 31 leaves her with some limited time to reach her upside. For her sophomore effort in the UFC, Rendon takes on a Russian newcomer in Zheleznyakova, who has looked intriguing if a bit raw on the regional scene. She is also a fairly straightforward pressure fighter, seemingly possessing a bit more pop in her hands than Rendon, but there is some worry about her ability to stand up to what her opponent throws back. Her best career win is over a natural flyweight in former UFC fighter Liana Jojua, and a 2022 loss to current UFC bantamweight Melissa Dixon saw her get mauled on the ground in a fight she was clearly winning on the feet. Rendon should be able to land some hard shots and win any wrestling exchanges that come up, though it will be interesting to see if Zheleznyakova can find any success by dragging the ECR Fight Center rep into a quicker pace. The pick is Rendon via decision.

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