UFC 298: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria kicks off the prelims with a fight in the women's flyweight division between Andrea Lee and Miranda Maverick. Lee has uncharacteristically lost three fights in a row meanwhile Maverick was able to get back on track with an armbar victory in her last fight. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Lee-Maverick prediction and pick.

Andrea Lee (13-8) now sits at 2-6 in her last six fights, losing three consecutive fights albeit to elite competition. She has been on the wrong end of some questionable decision victories like against Maycee Barber, Lauren Murphy, and Joanne Wood. Lee will look to make a statement this time around and not leave it in the hands of the judges when she takes on Miranda Maverick this weekend at UFC 298.

Miranda Maverick (12-5) looked like a legit prospect winning her first two fights in the UFC in dominating fashion but has since gone 3-3. However, Maverick is coming off her most dominant victory against Priscila Cachoeria in her last fight which she finished via armbar in round three. She will be looking to keep her winning ways rolling when she takes on Andrea Lee this weekend.

Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of BetOnline. 

UFC 298 Odds: Andrea Lee-Miranda Maverick Odds

Andrea Lee: +160

Miranda Maverick: -185

Over 2.5 rounds: -325

Under 2.5 rounds: +250

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Why Andrea Lee Will Win

Andrea Lee had a great start to her UFC career winning each of her first three fights until consecutive split decision losses started a trend where she has just gone 2-6 over her next eight fights. Her most recent defeat was against rising prospect Natalia Silva as Lee looks to get back on track against Maverick.

Lee certainly can win this fight against Maverick. She has the striking that gives the shorter Maverick trouble as it did in the Jasmine Jasudavicius fight. Jasudavicius isn't even on the level of striking as Lee but Maverick had trouble with the height and reach which is something Lee can replicate. She utilizes speed and movement along with a crisp jab-straight combination and front kicks to keep her opponent at the end of her strikes.

It boils down to Lee's takedown defense and if she can keep this fight upright like she did against Barber, for the most part, she has a legitimate shot of securing the upset victory to kickstart this PPV fight card.

Why Miranda Maverick Will Win

Miranda Maverick secured her UFC contract after dominant performances in Invicta FC. She started out of the gate hot with back-to-back victories but then went up against the elite in the division which resulted in back-to-back losses for the only time in her career. Now she's 2-1 over her last three fights coming off of her most dominant victory inside the octagon against Priscila Cachoeira.

The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt does her best work on the mat with seven of her 12 victories coming by submission. Maverick is also on the smaller side for the flyweight division standing in at just 5'2″ but she makes up for it by her strength and grappling abilities. She will have a distinct disadvantage at range against Lee and will need to navigate the reach advantage to get on the inside and take Lee to the mat. If Maverick can get Lee to the mat she will have a good opportunity to just control her there and potentially notch another submission victory.

Final Andrea Lee-Miranda Maverick Prediction & Pick

This is a high-level matchup between these two flyweight contenders to kick-start UFC 298. Andrea Lee has shown what she's been capable of but she's had some bad luck during her 5-6 run in the UFC. She also has fought nothing but the best in the flyweight division, fighting fighters like Natalia Silva, Maycee Barber, and Viviane Araujo over her last three fights which is certainly better than the level of competition that of Maverick.

Miranda Maverick has looked the part during her flyweight career with the UFC but then there were times she looked lost especially in her most recent loss to Jasmine Jasudavicius. Her game is predicated on getting the fight to the mat and if she doesn't do that here it's going to be a very long night for her.

Ultimately, Maverick will do everything in her power to get this fight to the mat and will rack some control time early on but the way that Lee was able to defend the grappling and get back to her feet against Barber leads me to believe she can work her way back to the feet and punish Maverick there to a decision victory and get back on track.

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Final Andrea Lee-Miranda Maverick Prediction & Pick: Andrea Lee (+160), Over 2.5 Rounds (-325)