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We're back with another betting prediction and pick for UFC London as the Prelims continue to roll from the Women's Strawweight (115) Division. Ireland's own Shauna Bannon will face off against India's Puja Tomar as both fighters come in following wins. Check the UFC odds series for our Bannon-Tomar prediction and pick.
Shauna Bannon (6-1) has gone 1-1 inside the UFC since debuting in 2023. Entering as an undefeated prospect, she dropped her debut fight against Bruna Brasil in an exciting performance. She notched her first win over Alice Ardelean via split decision and will look to build upon that momentum with a fight close to her home country. Bannon stands 5-foot-5 with a 65-inch reach.
Puja Tomar (9-4) will make her second walk to the UFC octagon following a split decision win over Rayanne Amanda in her debut. She's now won five consecutive bouts since 2021, ending three of those via TKO during that stretch. She'll look to impress once again as the short betting underdog. Tomar stands 5-foot-4 with a 59-inch reach.
Here are the UFC London Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
UFC London Odds: Shauna Bannon-Puja Tomar Odds
Shauna Bannon: -170
Puja Tomar: +142
Over 2.5 rounds: -540
Under 2.5 rounds: +360
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Why Shauna Bannon Will Win
- Last Fight: (W) Alice Ardelean – S DEC
- Last 5: 4-1
- Finishes: 2 KO/TKO
Shauna Bannon has been a highly-touted prospect hailing from Ireland since her arrival to the UFC and she finally got her first taste of a win during her last decision win. It was a close back-and-forth affair with both fighters having their moments, but it was ultimately Bannon who remained the more active fighter, out-striking her opponent 151-80 while connecting on 60% of her significant strikes. With only two KO wins, she's not much of a knockout threat. However, Bannon does a great job of pressing forward and will overwhelm opponents with output when she finds her rhythm.
Through her first two UFC fights, Bannon has been shaky coming out of the gates and she'll need to work towards a more consistent performance over the course of three rounds. She's very active with her kicking game and could see success here if she's able to land some early offense to the body of her opponent. She's the more athletic and varied striker of the two, so she could stand to win another decision here if she focuses on striking and not getting hit.
Why Puja Tomar Will Win
- Last Fight: (W) Rayanne Amanda – S DEC
- Last 5: 5-0
- Finishes: 6 KO/TKO
Puja Tomar had a very impressive UFC debut and while it ended in a split decision victory, she clearly looked like the fresher fighter who had the bigger moments by the end of the fight. Tomar is a classically-trained Wushu fighter, which gives her a varied background of Taekwondo and Karate techniques. She's very active with her kicks and will throw them as often as her punches, mostly hitting opponents to the body and using side kicks and teep kicks up the middle. If she's as aggressive as she has been over her last few fights, she could have a chance at landing the knockout in this one.
Puja Tomar is also very defensive when it comes to exchanges and she's displayed a great chin throughout her time in the regional circuit. Making history as India's first female UFC fighter, she's fighting for something much bigger than herself and it's apparent every time she steps into the cage. They key to her success will be landing first in the exchanges and returning heavier shots than Bannon will throw at her.
Final Shauna Bannon-Puja Tomar Prediction & Pick
This is a very interesting fight as both women find their success by marching down their opponents and unloading their offense. Shauna Bannon is the more technical striker and favors a boxing approach with high output. Puja Tomar, on the other hand, will walk right into the pocket and begin throwing body kicks while following it with straight shots down the middle. The two clashing styles should make for a fun, high-pace fight throughout.
We have to give the slight knockout upside to Puja Tomar due to the power she throws her shots with. She's also the slightly more durable fighter and shouldn't be affected by the short punches of Bannon.
Shauna Bannon, however, will have a longer reach to work with and can find success if she's able to keep a safe distance and land with her offense. She's very good in stuffing the takedowns and she'll be the one dictating this pace if we see a classic kickboxing match.
While Puja Tomar is the more dangerous fighter here, we favor Shauna Bannon to have more output in a three-round environment. With the total over set where it's at, we'll roll with Shauna Bannon to get the win via a close decision.
Final Shauna Bannon-Puja Tomar Prediction & Pick: Shauna Bannon (-170)
