The MMA Daily

We have a showdown in the Women’s Bantamweight division, as Lina “Elbow Queen” Lansberg takes on Pannie “Banzai” Kianzad. Returning to the octagon for the first time in twenty-six months, Lansberg will look to cleanse the long lasting sour taste of a loss to Sara McMann. Prior to the defeat, Lansberg had won three of the last four. Meanwhile, Kianzad most recently saw a four-fight win streak halted by Raquel Pennington. A fight where Kianzad just seemed a step behind. With a chance to get back in good standings in the Bantamweight division, look for Kianzad to be at her best here.

As for a prediction, I have Kianzad winning. While Lansberg can be a tough out, she lacks the necessary volume and wrestling to edge out Kianzad. In eight fights inside the octagon, Lansberg has landed five takedowns and been taken down fourteen times. She has also landed a mere 2.76 significant strikes per minute, which is nearly doubled by the 5.34 Kianzad lands. Also, seeing that Lansberg has only once eclipsed more than 51 strikes, and Kianzad had landed 92 or more during her four-fight win streak, leads me to believe that the Swede is going to dominate this fight. So with that said, I predict that Kianzad wins via decision.