UFC St. Louis: Derrick Lewis vs. Rodrigo Nascimento kicks off the prelims with a fight in the women's flyweight division between JJ Aldrich and Veronics Hardy. JJ Aldrich is coming off a hard-fought unanimous decision victory in her last fight giving her two wins in a row meanwhile, Hardy is coming off a split-decision victory in her last fight giving her two wins in a row as well. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Aldrich-Hardy prediction and pick.

JJ Aldrich (13-6) suffered back-to-back losses in 2022-2023 to Erin Blanchfield and Ariane Lipski but has since rattled off back-to-back victories against Na Liang and Montana De La Rosa in her last fight. Aldrich now looks to extend her winning streak to three when she takes on the surging Veronica Hardy this weekend at UFC. St. Louis

Veronica Hardy (8-4-1) came off her three-year layoff like she never missed a beat when she dominated former TUF winner Juliana Miller. She won her last fight against Jamey-Lyn Horth in a hard-fought split-decision victory. Now, Hardy will be looking to extend her longest winning streak inside the Octagon when she takes on JJ Aldrich this weekend at UFC St. Louis.

Here are the UFC St. Louis Odds, courtesy of BetOnline. 

UFC St. Louis Odds: JJ Aldrich-Veronica Hardy Odds

JJ Aldrich: +121

Veronica Hardy: -141

Over 2.5 rounds: -500

Under 2.5 rounds: +375

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Why JJ Aldrich Will Win

JJ Aldrich has been a mainstay in the women's flyweight division fighting the who's who of the division. She has had her fair share of ups and downs but has always been a tough out for even the best in the division. Aldrich is now riding a two-fight winning streak and will be looking to secure her third win in a row when she takes on the surging Veronic Hardy this weekend at UFC St. Louis.

Aldrich is always a tough fight for anyone in the women's flyweight division. She may not be great in one area but she is good all-around. She possesses the volume and toughness on the feet to keep pressing forward putting the pressure on her opponents and she has the ground game to land takedowns and finish her opponents there as well. In this matchup against Hardy, she will mix things up well especially with the clinching and grappling. Hardy loves to keep this fight on the feet and at space where she can utilize her kicks to her advantage so it's up to Aldrich to get in boxing range to land her strikes eventually taking the fight to the mat to secure her third win in a row.

Why Veronica Hardy Will Win

Veronica Hardy had a lengthy layoff from 2020 to 2023 but she came back with a vengeance after taking a brutal beating in her fight before her long layoff. She dominated the former TUF winner Juliana Miller in every facet of the fight even in her area of expertise on the mat. Hardy was then able to get on the first winning streak of her UFC career when she defeated the then-undefeated Jamey-Lyn Horth via split decision. Now, Hardy will look to extend her winning streak to three when she takes on JJ Aldrich this weekend at UFC St. Louis.

Much like JJ Aldrich, Hardy isn't great anywhere but well-rounded as shown in each of her last two appearances inside the Octagon. While she is well-rounded, Hardy does her best work on the feet where she can operate in space utilizing her kickboxing to her advantage. She will undoubtedly have a speed advantage on the feet and it will be up to Hardy to use that speed and her movement to keep away from Aldrich's forward pressure and clinch game. If she can stay on the outside and pot-shot Aldrich on the feet she has a great chance at extending her winning streak to three this weekend.

Final JJ Aldrich-Veronica Hardy Prediction & Pick

This should be a great scrap between these two women's flyweight contenders. JJ Aldrich is a hard-nosed fighter who will not give up on herself and will be always looking to fight tooth and nail with her opponent. Meanwhile, Hardy is more finesse than Aldrich but also has that toughness in her as we've seen in past fights she can hang with Aldrich if they decide to brawl it out.

Ultimately, while Aldrich has more tools to win in this matchup it's Hardy who has looked like a completely different fighter since that long layoff her striking is going to make it difficult for Aldrich to press forward and her takedown defense will be good enough to keep the fight on the feet as she pulls away down the stretch for another decision victory and her third win in a row.

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Final JJ Aldrich-Veronica Hardy Prediction & Pick: Veronica Hardy (-141), Over 2.5 Rounds (-500)