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The UFC 285 Prelims will continue with a hotly-contested bout in the Women's Flyweight (125 lb) Division. Fellow Brazilians and top-10 women's flyweights will meet in the octagon as No. 8 Viviane Araujo takes on No. 9 Amanda Ribas. Both women are eyeing title aspirations and will hope to make a big step in this coin flip fight. Check out our UFC odds series for our Araujo-Ribas prediction and pick.
Viviane Araujo is 11-4 in her MMA career and has gone 5-3 in the UFC. Once looking like a title challenger, Araujo lost two of here last three fights to title challengers Katlyn Chookagian and Alexa Grasso. She's done some soul searching and is ready to get back on track to making her title dreams come true. Araujo stands 5'4″ and has a 68-inch reach.
Amanda Ribas is 10-3 in her career and has a UFC record of 5-2. She's done very well facing a lot of tough opponents in such a short time and would be in line for a title challenge if she can beat a top-10 fighter in Araujo. Ribas has lost two of her last three fights to formidable opponents in Katlyn Chookagian and Marina Rodriguez, and while she's tried to stay active, she's had two fights recently cancelled last-minute. She'll be eager to get back in there against a good opponent. Ribas stands 5'3″ and has a 64-inch reach.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
UFC 285 Odds: Viviane Araujo-Amanda Ribas Odds
Viviane Araujo: -102
Amanda Ribas: -120
Over (2.5) rounds: -310
Under (2.5) rounds: +225
How to Watch Viviane Araujo vs. Amanda Ribas
TV: ESPN, ESPN+
Stream: ESPN App, UFC Fight Pass
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. PT (Prelims)
*Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Viviane Araujo Will Win
Viviane Araujo needs to get back to fighting with the same confidence that she entered the UFC with. She has dangerous hands and blitzes opponents with straight shots and hooks. She has unbelievable takedown defense at 90% and in the case the fight goes to the mat, she has a huge advantage over many of her opponents with her jiu-jitsu. When she's controlling the stand-up, Araujo will land a number of significant strikes, her favorite being hooks and uppercuts. She can finish a number of ways with three knockout wins, four by submission, and four by decision.
The question for Araujo will be her output in her recent fights. She hasn't shown to have good poise under a lot of pressure, so she'll need to stay calm and fight back if Ribas begins to rush her. With the slight edge in height and reach, Araujo should also be the slightly stronger fighter in this one. She'll need to keep her hands up and work with her elbows as she'll also have a small speed advantage.
Why Amanda Ribas Will Win
Amanda Ribas has been taking the MMA world by storm with her personality and backing it up in the ring. She's a talented jiu-jitsu practitioner and is eager to show off her submission grappling in the octagon. She's been able to secure armbars and kneebars in crucial moments of fights, giving her an advantage on the ground against most of her opponents. She'll be fairly matched on the ground here as Araujo has long background in BJJ as well. Ribas will have to be more creative and work her way into top position where she can land ground-and-pound.
Amanda Ribas has seven first-round finishes to her name and loves to start the fight aggressively. She leads behind a jab and a power right looking to stun her opponents. Her issue in the past has been that she often strikes with her hands down and gets clipped by big shots. She is then quick to rely on her BJJ and puts herself in even more compromising positions. If she can control the pace of the grappling exchanges and not let Araujo lock in anything slick, she'll have the advantage in being able to control her opponent from the top.
Final Viviane Araujo-Amanda Ribas Prediction & Pick
Both women are experienced on the ground and can chase creative submissions. It'll be a matter of who can land the takedowns and end in top position. I predict both women will cancel each other out on the ground. With Araujo have the more technical striking, I like her to have the slight edge in this matchup.
Final Viviane Araujo-Amanda Ribas Prediction & Pick: Viviane Araujo (-102)
