UFC 298: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria continues on the prelims with a fight in the strawweight division between Amanda Lemos and Mackenzie Dern. Lemos comes into this fight on the heels of her first title loss meanwhile, Dern had her first professional knockout defeat in her most recent fight at UFC 295. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Lemos-Dern prediction and pick.

Amanda Lemos (13-3-1) had her first title bid when she took on Zhang Weili at UFC 292 but ultimately was dominated for the entirety of the fight for a unanimous decision loss. While the loss may have seemed one-sided, Lemos did have Zhang in some trouble in that fight. Lemos will be looking to get back on track and right back into title contention when she takes on late-notice replacement Mackenzie Dern at UFC 298.

Mackenzie Dern (13-4) is looking to get back on track after suffering her first knockout defeat back at UFC 295 at the hands of Jessica Andrade. She is stepping in for the injured Tatiana Suarez on a month's notice when she takes on Amanda Lemos as she attempts to get back into the win column this weekend at UFC 298.

Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of BetOnline. 

UFC 298 Odds: Amanda Lemos-Mackenzie Dern Odds

Amanda Lemos: -135

Mackenzie Dern: +115

Over 2.5 rounds: +105

Under 2.5 rounds: -135

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Why Amanda Lemos Will Win

Amanda Lemos is an absolute powerhouse who has eight knockouts in her 13 victories with three of those knockouts coming in her time with the UFC. Most recently her defensive grappling was exposed in her most recent loss to Zhang Weili who took her down six times and controlled her for over 16 minutes.

This certainly doesn't bode well going into a fight against the most accomplished Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner in all of women's MMA. Luckily for Lemos, Dern has some of the worst offensive grappling in the division as she struggles mightily to take the fight to the mat. However, if Dern does happen to take Lemos down it could spell trouble for her. So, as long as Lemos can just keep this fight where she wants it, on the feet, we could potentially have a very similar fight to that of Jessica Andrade and Mackenzie Dern.

Why Mackenzie Dern Will Win

Mackenzie Dern came into her time with the UFC as one of the most sought-after prospects in women's MMA due to her championship-level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Against the lower-level competition, she was able to muscle her opposition to the mat and dominate there but as she moved up the totem pole she was met with the competition that was much harder to take down and ultimately was outclassed on the feet.

Dern has made a ton of strides in her striking and while her offensive wrestling still isn't all there you can see the progressions. As most Dern fights go, this will be predicated on whether or not she can land a takedown against Lemos. Given how smaller fighters like Angela Hill and Michelle Waterson-Gomez were able to take Lemos down and the way she fades later in fights due to an extreme weight cut, Dern has the chance to do what some may see as impossible and that is to get Lemos to the mat and get the submission.

Final Amanda Lemos-Mackenzie Dern Prediction & Pick

This is a fantastic fight in the strawweight division between two of the division's best. Amanda Lemos was set to face off against arguably the top contender in the division but after she had to withdraw due to injury she now gets to face another grappler but with less coherent wrestling in Mackenzie Dern.

Dern just looked out of it in her last fight against Jessica Andrade and that could be in large part due to her not training with her longtime striking coach Jason Parillo. There have been reports that she is now back training with Parillo but he will not be cornering her for this fight. That is certainly a good sign because Dern was making a ton of strides with him and that should help her have the right mentality coming into this dangerous matchup against Lemos.

Ultimately, we can expect a different version of Dern in this fight and a fight where we could potentially see her land takedowns and get on top and if she can do that, fully expect her to get the submission over Amanda Lemos making it her eighth submission victory and her fifth inside the octagon.

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Final Amanda Lemos-Mackenzie Dern Prediction & Pick: Mackenzie Dern (+115), Under 2.5 Rounds (-135)