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We're back with another prediction and pick for UFC Vegas 80 as the action heats up from the UFC Apex with this next fight in the Women's Strawweight (115 lb) Division. Vanessa Demopoulos will take on new prospect Kanako Murata. Check out our UFC odds series for our Demopoulos-Murata prediction and pick.
Vanessa Demopoulos (9-5) has gone 3-2 since joining the UFC after appearing on Dana White's Contender Series. Demopoulos went on a nice three-fight win streak where she beat Silvana Gomez Juarez, Jinh Yu Frey, and Maria Oliveira. However, she lost her last bout to Karolina Kowalkiewicz and will be looking to redeem herself in this one. Demopoulos stands 5'2″ with a 59.5-inch reach.
Kanako Murata (12-2) has gone 1-1 since joining the UFC roster in 2020. She's a former RIZIN and Invicta fighter with a combined 7-1 record. Her debut was a dominant decision win over a veteran in Randa Markos. She dropped her last bout to Virna Jandiroba, but she's already seen a decent level of competition in her short time with the promotion. She'll hope to cash in as a sizable favorite in this fight. Murata stands 5'1″ with a 62-inch reach.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
UFC Vegas 80 Odds: Vanessa Demopoulos-Kanako Murata Odds
Vanessa Demopoulos: +280
Kanako Murata: -390
Over 2.5 rounds: -280
Under 2.5 rounds: +210
How to Watch Vanessa Demopoulos vs. Kanako Murata
TV: ESPN+
Stream: ESPN+, Watch ESPN
Time: 4:00 p.m. ET/ 1:00 p.m. PT (Prelims)
*Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Vanessa Demopoulos Will Win
Vanessa Demopoulos showed a lot of promise during her three fight win streak as she took care of her opponents with relative ease. She has a jiu jitsu background and is great at locking up submissions with four wins by tap already. Since fighting in the UFC, she's mainly had to deal with strikers, so it's no surprise that her grappling has served her well. In her last fight against Kowalkiewicz, she failed to land any clean takedowns and couldn't work her submissions. It's clear that she'll have to tighten her game up if she wants to continue facing better competition, so look for Demopoulos to be very measured coming into this fight off a loss.
Demopoulos' striking is still coming along and while she can hold her own on the feet, she's likely to be outmatched by the fast hands and boxing of Murata. Demopoulos will have to limit any damage done on the inside, so expect her to circle away from Murata and keep a safe distance. It's likely that she'll shoot if she's in trouble, so expect Demopolous to try and mount some offense up against the cage. If she can wear on Murata and prevent her from opening up her striking, she could have a chance to steal this on the scorecards.
Why Kanako Murata Will Win
Kanako Murata comes into this fight after a relatively long layoff away from the sport due to injury from her last fight. She's a World Champion wrestler coming out of Japan and should be the first real test in terms of a grappler for Vanessa Demopoulos. She sets up power right hands with her left jab and likes to press forward with her striking pressure. It will be a little over two years since her last fight, so it'll be interesting to see what kind of shape she's in stepping into the cage. For a wrestler like her, sometimes a layoff to nurse injuries can work in their favor in assuring full health when getting back to grappling. As the favorite, she should be able to control the exchanges on the ground.
This fight will begin on the feet and Murata will have to be careful if Demopoulos decides to come out aggressive. She doesn't do well when she's being backed up, so Murata will have to focus on gaining respect with her first strike and creating distance between her and Demopoulos. Murata's wrestling with be the biggest advantage in this fight, but she'll still have to be careful of the submission attempts coming back from her opponent.
Final Vanessa Demopoulos-Kanako Murata Prediction & Pick
This fight is extremely interesting with the heavy favorite, Kanako Murata, coming back after a two-year layoff from MMA. Vanessa Demopoulos, on the other hand, has been very active during her UFC stint and she's faced a wide-range of opponents thus far. This will certainly be her biggest test in terms of facing another grappler, but Demopoulos could see some success early if she's able to catch Murata still adjusting to the fight. Nevertheless, the wrestling of Kanako Murata is extremely high-level and she should be able to counter any grappling from Demopolous. For our prediction, let's take Murata to win the fight as we see the total go over as well.
Final Vanessa Demopoulos-Kanako Murata Prediction & Pick: Kanako Murata (-390); OVER 2.5 Rounds (-280)
