UFC 251 Predictions

4. Amanda Ribas Vs. Paige VanZant

UFC 251 Usman Masvidal
John Locher/AP

This is a fight made interesting due to Ribas moving up 10 pounds to fight in the barren rankings of the Flyweight division, despite being unbeaten at Strawweight in the UFC.

PVZ is one of the most popular female fighters out there due to her media work outside of the UFC, but inside the cage, she's gone 2-3 in her last five and has constantly had to pull out of fights with injuries.

She got back on track with a submission win over Rachael Ostovich back in January 2019 following two defeats, but Ostovich is a rather green fighter with a losing record.

Ribas is a jiu-jitsu expert, which has been the downfall for '12 gauge' in all of her losses when she gets outworked on the ground by a superior grappler. She took all three rounds against Mackenzie Dern before utterly dominating Randa Markos in her last two fights, and looked highly impressive while doing so.

VanZant is on the last fight of her contract and her demeanor seems completely uninterested in this match-up. She has openly stated she plans to test the free agency and flaunts how much money she has earned away from fighting rather than in the Octagon.

Ribas is a serious threat and is coming in off a four fight win-streak ready to push for the title-shot, and this should be her chance to gain a statement win over a big name in a new weight class.

Prediction: Ribas Via Submission

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