Flyweight contenders Jasmine Jasudavicius and Tracy Cortez are set to face off this weekend on an already stacked Fight Night card.
The two are coming off some massive wins, with Jasudavicius dismantling a young prospect in Miranda Maverick, and Cortez adding to her now nine-fight win streak with a win over Melissa Gatto.
With Cortez recently breaking into the top 15, this fight is paramount to proving that either woman can contend with the rest of what’s likely the most competitive women’s division in the UFC.
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Betting Odds
With both fighters on impressive hot streaks since breaking into the UFC, this fight closes in as a near pick em’ with Cortez as a slight favorite.
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Fight Breakdown
The main appeal of both these women is undoubtedly the sheer well-roundedness and versatility of their game. They both have their own unique styles, with Cortez being a phenomenal wrestler within the clinch and Jasudavicius being a much more gritty wrestle-boxer who isn’t afraid to make a fight with a skilled opponent a slugfest. The rest of their respective games, however, is also impressive, with both showcasing strong striking, grappling, and conditioning that have fostered much of the success in their careers.
Cortez’s composure throughout her bouts is nothing short of impressive, staying focused during heavy exchanges and almost never straying from the game plan that she and her team set out to accomplish. She hasn’t shown any signs of fatigue, throughout the entirety of her UFC career, which is all the more impressive when considering that every one of those fights has gone to a decision. She has an impressive jab for a fighter who would otherwise fall under the blanket term of a grappler and knows how to use her dirty boxing to close the distance with her opponents, which could give Jasudavicius some problems if she’s not careful. The crux of her work, however, comes from her jiu-jitsu and ground and pound. When she’s on top, particularly from the mount, the round’s as good as lost, with her relentless pressure and ground-and-pound limiting her opponent’s ability to scramble to their feet.
Although it’s much more raw and non-technical, Jasudavicius plays a relatively similar game, which is what makes this fight fascinating from a strategic standpoint. She’s an extraordinary dirty boxer, unleashing a number of punches and knees to the body whenever she gets the chance. Unlike Cortez, much of her takedown entries come from within this clinch as opposed to shooting traditional shots from the open. She has a number of trips and leg grabs that throw her opponent off guard and either send them tumbling to the canvas, or off-balanced to get hit with a shot on the break. This makes her a very awkward fight for some fighters, as you never really know when she’s trying to hurt you or take you down.
When she does get on the ground though, she breaks her opponents. She transitions from a variety of pressuring positions similar to traditional side control, forcing her opponents to work diligently to get back on their feet. She has very technical ground and pound, only striking her opponents when they attempt to scramble, forcing them to reset and start from scratch or an even worse position. Along with this, she threatens a number of submissions from any position that she could find when on top, further forcing her opponents to wear themselves out.
Prediction and Betting Guide
Overall, this fight’s probably going to be decided by whoever ends up on top first, as whoever does is very likely to wear the other out by the second round. Because of this, I’m going with Jasudavicius, solely because her fight with Miranda Maverick showcased her ability to do this very strategy against another accomplished grappler. Along with this, she has much stronger forward pressure than Cortez, throwing much more long-winded combinations with more frequency than Cortez, which could wear her out in the later rounds.
The oddsmakers are right to keep this as a pick ’em, though. The two are essentially equals in their skillsets, and the tide of the fight could easily be decided by Cortez and her acumen of octagon control, making this fight all the more exciting for its unpredictable nature.
Pick: Jasudavicius by Decision or Fight to go the Distance
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