The MMA Daily

In the women’s Strawweight division, we have a showdown between Diana Belbita and Gloria de Paula. Coming off her first UFC victory, Belbita will look to make it two straight inside the octagon. Having lost two fights prior, Belbita was able to finally showcase her striking abilities in a winning effort. Meanwhile, de Paula will seek to move past her recent knockout defeat. A fight where de Paula was caught by a perfectly timed head kick while getting up from the mat. A tough blow for de Paula who still is looking for her first UFC win. Perhaps, the third times the charm.

As for a prediction, I have Belbita winning. I’m actually pleasantly surprised that the odds indicate this is a near pick’em fight. I believe that Belbita is not only better everywhere, but is a significantly better striker. Being that striking, more specifically Muay-Thai is a strength of de Paula, I’d say she’s in for a tough night at the office. Belbita may be hittable, but so is de Paula. The area where Belbita takes the cake, is simply output. Belbita is landing 6.72 significant strikes per minutes. In de Paula’s two UFC fights, she’s landing a mere 2.25 significant strikes per minute. The activity is going to be a major factor in this fight and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a late finish here. However, I predict that Belbita wins via a dominant decision.