UFC 185 Date: 03/14/15 Arena: American Airlines Center City: Dallas, TX Women’s Bantamweight bout: Larissa Pacheco (-155) vs Germaine de Randamie (+135) Fight Breakdown: The very first bout of the evening for UFC 185 in Dallas will be a women’s bantamweight contest which will be streaming live on UFC Fight Pass. Getting the action started for the Texas evening will be Brazilian Larissa Pacheco and Dutchwoman Germaine “The Iron Lady” de Randamie, as they both look to return to the winners circle in impressive fashion. Pacheco is a -155 ($155 to win $100) betting favorite in this contest, with de Randamie being the underdog at +135 ($100 to win $135) at Several Bookmakerss. Larissa Pacheco (10-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) had her first taste of professional mixed martial arts defeat in her promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 51 six months ago, where she was submitted by friend and fellow Brazilian training partner Jessica Andrade by guillotine choke in the very first round of action. With UFC jitters now in her rear-view, she is eager to pick up her first win inside the Octagon this Saturday night. The 20-year-old is undoubtedly a finisher, as is evident by the fact that all 10 of her professional mixed martial arts victories have come inside the distance; six via submission, and four by way of T/KO. She is a well-rounded fighter who is talented on the feet, as well as on the mat. Pacheco mixes it up well with her striking, implementing all of her limbs in her offensive attack, including her vicious knees. She is fluid on the feet, and is a good technical striker with solid counter-striking abilities, but Pacheco also likes to brawl. She is willing to take a shot in order to land one of her own. The Brazilian has fast hands, puts together a number of effective combinations on the feet, and likes to dish out a high volume of strikes. Her takedown defense is decent, but when taken down, she is active off her back. Though she has never been the distance in her professional mixed martial arts career, her cardio seems to be decent, but it will remain somewhat of a question mark heading into this contest. Germaine “The Iron Lady” de Randamie (4-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) last saw action 16 months ago at UFC Fight for the Troops 3, where she suffered a first round T/KO against Amanda Nunes, and now with the extended layoff, she is ready to return to the Octagon and show off her developed game in an effort to get back into the win column this weekend in Dallas. “The Iron Lady” is an excellent striker who comes from a Muay Thai background and is undefeated in the sport with an incredibly impressive record of 46-0 that includes 30 wins by way of T/KO. She is an exceptional striker who has been slowly but surely making a transition into mixed martial arts. The 30-year-old is a dangerous fighter who likes to move forward and always looks for the finish, despite the fact that she has only been able to put away one of the four opponents she has defeated thus far in her pro career. The Dutchwoman is excellent inside the clinch and works the Thai plum really well. She does a remarkable job of attacking with her kneeswhen on the inside. She will attack the legs, body and head of her opponents’ with her knees, doing a fantastic job of going really high with them. The 30-year-old has good footwork and head movement, as well as a strong chin and solid striking defense. She moves well around the cage and is a threat with all four limbs and joints. “The Iron Lady” has excellent kicks, including a nice front kick, beautiful high kicks and some vicious kicks to the body. She has a strong overhand right, works a very good jab and puts together ferocious combinations on the feet, including some magnificent 1-2’s. Training out of the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in San Jose, CA, de Randamie has very good cardio and has been improving on her ground game, training with some of the best wrestling coaches on the planet. Her takedown defense has been decent, and I expect to see improvements in the department, considering her 16 months off. When taken down, she’s generally been able to do a good job of finding her way back to her feet. Gabe’s Thoughts: “The Iron Lady” is the superior striker heading into this match-up and she will have two-inch advantages in both height and reach over Pacheco; not to mention a general physical size advantage, being the more built, physically stronger fighter of the two. The Brazilian has more mixed martial arts experience than de Randamie, but the Dutchwoman is unquestionably the more seasoned striker. I think she will be able to stop Pacheco’s takedown attempts in this bout and I expect her to outclass the Brazilian on the feet, either en route to a unanimous decision victory on the judges’ scorecards or a possible T/KO stoppage. I think de Randamie should be a -220 betting favorite in this contest, so I love her for a play at her current underdog price of +135. Gabe’s Call: “The Iron Lady” by T/KO (knees and punches, 1:34 round 1) Gabe’s Recommended Play: de Randamie (+135) 4u to win 5.4u
