One of the prelims at the TUF 20 Finale is a three-round women’s strawweight bout between Tecia Torres and Angela Magana. According to the current betting lines available at Several Bookmakers, Torres is a -600 favorite (bet $600 to win $100) while Magana is a +450 underdog (bet $100 to win $450). MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas opened up Torres at -600 and Magana at +400, and Torres remains a large betting favorite just a few days before the fight. I agree that Torres should be a big favorite in this fight. Here’s why. Torres (4-0) was one of the top strawweights heading into TUF, but overall she was disappointing on the show. The 25-year-old member of American Top Team went 1-2 on the show with decision losses to Randa Markos and Carla Esparza and a decision win over Bec Rawlings. She disappointed greatly against Markos and Esparza, getting outwrestled in both fights. Based on her fights in the house, it seems like she is just too small to compete with the top fighters at 115lbs, although wins in Invicta over Felice Herrig, Rose Namajuas and Paige VanZant show otherwise. I think Torres, with her technical striking and solid takedown defence, is a very good fighter and one that could improve a lot with some more seasoning. I think a top wrestler is a bad matchup for her, but I think the UFC is throwing her a bone her with Magana, one of the weakest fighters on the entire season, a fighter who Torres should beat in every area of the game and pick up a win in the UFC. Magana (11-6) went 0-1 in TUF with a third-round TKO loss to Aisling Daly. The 31-year-old American is coming into this fight on a two-fight losing streak in her pro career, so overall she has lost three in a row. Having said that, Magana is pretty experienced in the sport, having competed as a pro since 2007, and has wins over the likes of Jessica Aguilar and Barb Honchak. Clearly she is a talented fighter if she could beat Aguilar and Honchak, although I do question how focused she is on the sport. Against Torres she’ll have to take her down and wrestle her on the ground to grind out a victory because she won’t win the standup here. I just don’t see her having success with her wrestling, though, and that’s why I have to pick against her, and clearly the betting public feels the same way as Magana is a big underdog in this fight. Torres has a bright future in the UFC while Magana really has no future of which to speak of at this level of MMA. I think Torres is better everywhere, and I think she easily wins this fight, either 30-27 on the scorecards or by stoppage. At -550, I actually see some value in Torres as a big favorite to put into parlays because I think she’s a very likely winner, and one of the safer bets the whole weekend.
