The MMA Daily

We have an important fight at a Catchweight of 140 pounds, as Irene Aldana takes on Macy Chiasson. Coming off a dominant stoppage victory over Yana Kunitskaya, Aldana returns to the octagon looking to make it two straight. Ranked fourth in the division and having never fought for the title, Aldana could inch herself closer to that goal with a victory. Meanwhile, Chiasson comes into this fight off a victory over Norma Dumont. Going back-and-forth fighting at Bantamweight and Featherweight, Chiasson will eventually need pick a lane if she ever wants to vie for a title.

An intriguing fight, and perhaps close one to call, I’m going to side with Chiasson. While recognizing that Aldana is an excellent striker, who’s output and overall activity create havoc for several opponents, I’m curious if her takedown defense with hold up against Chiasson. Despite it being 84%, Holly Holm was able to land five takedowns on Aldana, thus stifling her striking attack. Given Chiasson just implemented a similar game plan on a big Featherweight in Norma Dumont, landing six takedown in route to a victory, I’m thinking we could see the majority of this fight taking place against the cage or on the ground. So with that line of thinking, I predict that Chiasson wins via decision.