Preview: UFC Fight Night 190 Prelims

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Women’s Bantamweights

#15 WBW | Julia Avila (8-2, 2-1 UFC) vs. NR | Julija Stoliarenko (9-4-2, 0-2 UFC)

ODDS: Avila (-350), Stoliarenko (+290)

Avila’s September loss against Sijara Eubanks slowed the considerable hype behind the “Raging Panda,” who nevertheless remains one of the better women’s bantamweight prospects. Avila’s lone loss prior to the UFC came via a gnarly hand injury, and up until the Eubanks bout, her ability to overwhelm opponents with pressure and aggression had her on the radar as a potential future title contender. However, in the Eubanks loss, Avila’s aggression clearly worked against her, as she consistently threw herself into poor positions on the mat without much of an answer as to how she could regain her footing. That makes for some intrigue here against Lithuania’s Stoliarenko, whose primary weapon has been her ability to catch unaware opponents with a submission, typically via armbar. Stoliarenko’s win over Lisa Verzosa in 2020—which punched her return ticket to the UFC—did show that she can gut out multiple rounds if needed, but her overall record makes this a pretty clear proposition: Either Stoliarenko quickly finds a submission win, or things turn into an ugly and close fight. A Stoliarenko win is not out of the question, but it is much likelier that Avila can survive and go after another overwhelming win. The pick is Avila via second-round stoppage.

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