Kicking off the main card of UFC 191 is a women’s strawweight contest between hyped prospect Paige “12 gauge” VanZant and Alex “Astro Girl” Chambers. VanZant is one of the more popular fighters in the UFC today and even secured a Reebok sponsorship after just one UFC fight. Her opponent, Chambers, enters this fight on the heels of a third round submission win over Kailin Curran. Paige VanZant (5-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC, -1450 favorite) VanZant has quickly become one of the UFC’s fastest rising stars. The 21 year old former model has used her looks and success in the cage to make a quick rise to the top. Paige trains out of Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, California, which is home to UFC stars Urijah Faber, Chad Mendes, T.J. Dillashaw, and Joseph Benavidez. That quality training environment, combined with her relentless aggression inside the cage has been a winning combination for her. VanZant was supposed to be on the cast of season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter, but the UFC ruled that she was too young to appear on the show. Taking it all in stride, she instead made her UFC debut on a Fight Night card in November. Her performance that night against Kailin Curran made her a star overnight. Paige did even better in her next outing, as she completely drubbed longtime veteran Felice Herrig in a three round affair. She now looks for her third straight win inside the Octagon. VanZant does not yes possess the crisp and refined technique that many of the top fighters possess, but she makes up for it with aggression, toughness, and tenacity. Paige goes as hard as she can for every second of the fight; she never gives her opponent time to rest. One of the better aspects of her game is her clinch work against the cage, as she utilizes excellent control, dirty boxing, and knees in that position. Additionally, she is an above-average scrambler and has an improving grappling and wrestling game. Excellent conditioning and pace are also qualities that Paige possesses. The biggest problems in her game, however, are her striking from range and striking defense. She has little to offer in those areas of the game, but she is still very young and will make big improvements each time she fights. Alex Chambers (5-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC, +950 underdog) Chambers enters this contest as a massive underdog and it is honestly pretty easy to see why. She is an atomweight (105 pounder) fighting at strawweight and will be at a big size disadvantage in this fight. Further, she has not been very impressive in the UFC, starting with her appearance on season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter. Alex was quickly submitted in her only fight on the show by Rose Namajunas and followed that up by getting submitted again in the first round of her official UFC debut. However, Chambers dug deep and saved her job in her last outing in May. Her opponent in that contest, Kailin Curran, was winning handily but made a technical mistake on the mat that allowed Alex to catch her in an armbar with less than two minutes to go in a fight she clearly would have won. With a UFC win under her belt, Chambers looks to earn one of the biggest upsets in UFC history this Saturday night. As I previously mentioned, Chambers is a natural atomweight but she is forced to fight at a weight class higher because there is no atomweight division in the UFC. The 36 year is a black belt in karate, which is evident in her style on the feet. She throws a low of kicks without much of a windup, which can be effective at times. However, she offers little in the pocket. Her punches are sloppy and slow, especially when gets past the first round. Conditioning is also a questionable aspect of Chambers’ game, though she still manages to fight through fatigue. The ground is likely the area where Chambers is the most dangerous. She has a decent submission game, both from her back and from top position. Kailin Curran found that out the hard way, but I am sure VanZant took note of how crafty Chambers is from her back. Thoughts This fight is a rarity from a betting standpoint. You don’t see women fighters not named Ronda Rousey or Cyborg that are -1500 favorites. That huge line is a testament to the amount of hype that currently surrounds VanZant and the actual breakdown of the fight. VanZant is exactly the type of fighter that will give Chambers nightmares. Her relentless forward pressure, ferocity, and clinch work will be too much for the Australian to handle. Chambers pulled a rabbit out of her hat in her last fight, but I don’t see it happening again here. The Prediction: Paige VanZant defeats Alex Chambers by technical knockout (round 2)
