UFC 203: Miocic vs Overeem Date: September 10, 2016 Arena: Quicken Loans Arena City: Cleveland, OH Women’s Bantamweight bout: Bethe “Pitbull” Correia (+125) vs Jessica “Evil” Eye (-145) Fight Breakdown: The featured bout for the UFC 203 preliminary card on FOX Sports 1 will be a “do or die” match-up in the women’s bantamweight division between former UFC women’s bantamweight title challenger Bethe “Pitbull” Correia and Ohio’s very own Jessica “Evil” Eye. The Brazilian is a small +125 ($100 to win $125) underdog at the sportsbooks heading into this contest, with Eye being a -145 ($145 to win $100) favorite to win at Several Bookmakerss. Bethe “Pitbull” Correia (9-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) is coming off back to back losses to former UFC women’s 135-pound champion Ronda Rousey and a split decision against Raquel Penington, respectively. Now in an effort to get back into her winning ways, she will be traveling to enemy territory in Cleveland to take on the city’s own “Evil” Eye. At times a slow starter, Correia uses good footwork and head movement, and puts together some solid combinations on the feet, including a variety of two-punch combos. “Pitbull” is a very aggressive fighter who likes to dictate cage control and back her opponents up. She likes to pressure her opponents against the cage and do damage from the position, including body shots and foot stomps. The 32 year old works great body shots, in general, and has a dangerous left hook, not to mention a powerful overhand right. She has a nice high kick, and works heavy leg kicks that take a lot out of her opponents. The Jungle Fight veteran has solid takedown defense, but her grappling in general is questionable. She trains with the “Pitbull” brothers Patricio and Patricky, hence her nickname and fighting style. Also much like her fellow Brazilian teammates, Correia possesses a great chin and loves to brawl. Her striking defense is solid, and she has tremendous cardio. I have no doubt she’ll be able to go the full 15 minutes against Duke, should the fight reach the judges’ scorecards. Jessica “Evil” Eye (11-5-1 NC MMA, 1-4-1 NC UFC) is coming off a lackluster unanimous decision loss to Sara McMann and has now dropped three straight fights inside the Octagon, so she will definitely have her back against the wall heading into this one in front of her hometown Cleveland crowd. McMann. Despite that bout, “Evil” Eye is generally a fast starter; she does not waste any time getting the action going and putting the pressure on her opponents. Her striking is solid and she packs power behind her punches, though she doesn’t always find the T/KO finish. Same goes for her submission game; it’s pretty good, but she rarely catches anyone unless she hurt them first with strikes. The Ohio native trains her jiu-jitsu under the tutelage of Pablo Castro, and has won a number of grappling tournaments. She is an excellent scrambler and is great at working reversals. Eye is an aggressive fighter who fights with a lot of heart and is hard to finish. She works great inside the clinch, especially with her knees. The 30 year old is a well conditioned athlete who will be ready for a full three rounds of action heading into this match-up against the Brazilian, should the fight reach the judges’ scorecards for a decision. Gabe’s Thoughts: Both ladies have their backs against their wall heading into this match-up and will be looking to give it their all in an effort to get their hand raised. I think having the homecrowd edge in Cleveland will benefit Eye in this contest, and give her a second wind if she needs it. I think she is the more well rounded fighter of the two and I expect her to pull out a win to save her job on Saturday night. I could see Correia getting another fight off a loss, but I think Eye will almost certainly be released if she comes out short. I believe she is the more likely fighter of the two to win this fight on the scorecards, as well as the more likely fighter to win inside the distance. I think she should be a -190 betting favorite heading into this contest, so I like her for a play at her current offering price of -145. Gabe’s Call: Eye by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Eye (-145) 2.9u to win 2u
