Subscribe
Follow Us
It's time for another betting prediction and pick inside the UFC as we approach the Featured Prelim bout at UFC Iowa, taking place in the Women's Bantamweight (135) Division.
UFC vets will square off as No. 10-ranked Yana Santos takes on No. 12 Miesha Tate in an exciting scrap for divisional positioning. Check the UFC odds series for our Santos-Tate prediction and pick.
Yana Santos (15-8) has gone 5-5 inside the UFC since 2018. Following back-to-back wins in 2020-21, she slid with three consecutive losses to Irene Aldana, Holly Holm, and Karol Rosa. She bounced back most recently with a win over Chelsea Chandler and will now face a women's MMA legend during this upcoming bout. Santos stands 5-foot-6 with a 68.5-inch reach.
Miesha Tate (20-9) has gone 7-6 inside the UFC since debuting back in 2013. After losing the belt to Amanda Nunes and dropping her following fight in 2016, she returned to MMA in 2021, posting a 2-2 record with two performance bonuses during her wins. She'll look to keep climbing the ladder as the betting favorite here. Tate stands 5-foot-6 with a 65-inch reach.
Here are the UFC Iowa Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
UFC Iowa Odds: Yana Santos-Miesha Tate Odds
Yana Santos: +120
Miesha Tate: -142
Over 4.5 rounds: -395
Under 4.5 rounds: +280
*Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Yana Santos Will Win
- Last Fight: (W) Chelsea Chandler – U DEC
- Last 5: 2-3
- Finishes: 7 KO/TKO, 1 SUB
Yana Santos will be appearing in this fight following a solid striking effort against a dominant grappler in Chelsea Chandler. While she was outmatched during that fight, her takedown defense was her greatest strength as she found a consistent rhythm with her striking afterwards.
Throughout that bout, she managed the distance well and made great use of her low leg kicks, eventually stifling the movement of Chandler and boxing her way to a dominant victory. Expect the leg kicks to be another storyline during this fight as her opponent hasn't dealt with much of that tactic in the past.
For Santos to be successful here, she'll once again have to be dominant in turning away takedown attempts and forcing her opponent to stand and strike with her. She's landing almost double (4.42) significant strikes to Tate (2.62) per minute and doing so at a 58% clip.
She's also much more adept in controlling the distance, so expect her jab to be a huge tool in forcing Tate into a frustrating bout. If she's able to keep this fight on the feet, she stands a chance against another great grappler.
Why Miesha Tate Will Win
- Last Fight: (W) Julia Avila – SUB (rear naked choke, R3)
- Last 5: 2-3
- Finishes: 4 KO/TKO, 8 SUB
Miesha Tate showed off her toughness during her last bout, which has been a calling card of hers ever since she became UFC champion. While she's not the same athletic talent she was in 2016, her fight IQ is some of the best in the division, and she does a great job of finding ways to win while exploiting her opponents' weaknesses.
Her submission grappling hasn't lost a step given the result in her last fight, so expect a similar game plan out of Tate as she looks to take this fight where she's most comfortable.
Miesha Tate also did a great job of managing the striking distance during her last fight, and while she's struggled with dangerous strikers in the past, she's certainly shown an ability to improve and evolve her game at this later stage of her career.
She clearly still has a ton left in her gas tank, and if she's able to keep her cardio up, we could see a high-octane mix of striking and setting up her takedowns throughout this one.
Final Yana Santos-Miesha Tate Prediction & Pick
We have to give the strong striking advantage to Yana Santos and what she's been able to do against previous opponents. Her range management and ability to wear opponents' legs down with her kicks will be a huge storyline throughout this one, so it'll be interesting to see how Miesha Tate fares with each round beginning on the feet.
However, Tate does a great job of forcing opponents to fight her kind of bout, and I expect the takedowns to be a constant theme throughout this one. While she's not the dominant wrestler she once was, she's still very clearly dangerous when it comes to her submissions and should be able to force some attempts if this fight hits the mats.
Ultimately, we have to favor Miesha Tate with this close betting line thanks to her being able to win the fight in a multitude of ways. She's very adept on the feet, and if she lands the takedown, she'll be chasing submission through all three rounds. Let's roll with the betting favorite to get the win here.
Final Yana Santos-Miesha Tate Prediction & Pick: Miesha Tate (-142)
