Preview: UFC Macau ‘Yan vs. Figueiredo’

Women’s Flyweights

Cong Wang (6-0, 1-0 UFC) vs. Gabriella Fernandes (9-3, 1-2 UFC)

ODDS: Wang (-700), Fernandes (+500)

With Valentina Shevchenko back on top in the flyweight division, Wang’s rise becomes an interesting subplot. A former kickboxer, Wang beat Shevchenko in that realm shortly before “Bullet” made her UFC debut in 2015; and while that alone would put some steam on a rematch, Wang’s performances since transitioning to mixed martial arts herself have only helped stoke those fires. Wang is still gaining comfort in her new sport—expected with her only being two years and change in—but the highs have been extremely impressive. Wang’s entire mixed martial arts game has a sense of gleeful violence, with her able to score some brutal knockouts along with showing some nascent ability to cause some damage on the mat. Wang’s UFC debut saw her obliterate Victoria Leonardo in just 62 seconds in August, and a similar showing against Fernandes can’t be ruled out.

Brazil’s Fernandes looked ready to make a solid impact upon her UFC debut early last year, but things haven’t particularly come together for her heading into her fourth fight with the company. Fernandes’ best tools on the regional scene centered around her ability to kick opponents from range, but her first two UFC bouts just saw her get controlled through wrestling; and while she finally won her last fight against Carli Judice, it doesn’t seem like a great sign that she had a nip-tuck war against one of the rawest fighters on the UFC roster. That performance also suggests that the days of Fernandes outmaneuvering her opponents might truly be over. If that’s true, it’s hard to see her withstanding Wang’s offense for an entire 15 minutes. The pick is Wang via second-round knockout.

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Yan vs. Figueiredo
Yan vs. Ricci
Salikhov vs. Song
Wang vs. Fernandes
Ulberg vs. Oezdemir
Zhang vs. Diaz
The Prelims