Prior to each UFC card, Jay Primetown takes a close look at debuting fighters. In the latest installment, we look at Women’s strawweight Nina Ansaroff as he debuts against Brazilian Juliana Lima at UFC Fight Night 56. Nina “The Strina” Ansaroff Hometown: Florida Age: 28 Height: 5’5” Reach: 65” Weightclass: Strawweight Camp: MMA Masters Career Record: 6-3 Key Wins: Munah Holland Key Losses: Carla Esparza, Barb Honchak Background The MMA Masters product out of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and training partner of UFC bantamweight Amanda Nunes has been fighting professionally since 2010. She’s fought mainly at flyweight, but holds a split decision loss to top strawweight contender Carla Esparza. Her previous experience in soccer and taekwondo is evident in her striking acumen. Strengths
- Good all-around striker
- Kicking game is excellent; previous sports background noticeable
- Can land kicks to any part of the body and do so with power
- Accurate jab she can land with regularity
- Good head / foot movement
- Good technique to set up takedowns
Weaknesses
- Tends to struggle with pressure
- Suffers from inactivity on the feet
- Tendency to back up against the cage
- Tends to get wild as fight gets beyond first round
- Ground game from bottom is a concern
Matchup with Juliana Lima This matchup is pretty straight forward. Ansaroff wants to keep the fight standing, while Lima will be trying her hardest to get the fight to the ground. It likely plays out similar to Lima’s last bout against Joanna Jedrzejczyk in which the Polish fighter landed strikes in volume for the majority of the bout for a decision victory. What could make this fight different is the proficiency of leg kicks that Ansaroff uses. She is one of the division’s best in this regard and certainly has the most powerful leg kicks of anyone at strawweight. Ansaroff has knocked out four of her last five opponents and is a real threat to do so in this bout. If Lima can get the fight to the ground, things could get interesting as Ansaroff’s ground game does need work. Expect a good portion of this bout to be fought against the cage as Lima looks for the takedown without much success. When the fighters separate, Ansaroff will score with the more diverse and powerful strikes to get the win. UFC Ceiling Prior to watching tape on Nina Ansaroff, I knew very little about “The Strina.” After reviewing, several positives stand out. First, is her striking power. She’s near the very top of the division in that department. At 115 pounds, very few women are capable of knocking out an opponent. Ansaroff has that ability and that makes her very dangerous. What she needs to improve on is her ability to handle fighters such as herself (striking first, aggressive fighters) and work on her ground game. The Strina has top 15 level ability now and potentially top 10 if she gets better in the grappling exchanges. Fight Film Check out Ansaroff in some of her recent fights: Nina Ansaroff vs. Tyra Parker: Nina Ansaroff vs. Aylla Carolina Lima da Silva