UFC Vegas 72 Yadong Song vs. Ricky Simon keeps on moving with the prelims with another women's bantamweight matchup between Stephanie Egger and promotional newcomer Irina Alekseeva. Egger is looking to stake a claim in the bantamweight division meanwhile, Alekseeva is looking to make her presence known in her debut fight. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Egger-Alekseeva prediction and pick.
Stephanie Egger (8-3) will look to make it two in a row when she takes on newcomer Irina Alekseeva. The high-level judoka has shown glimpses of greatness in her wins and she will need to be at the top of her game when she gets into the octagon on Saturday night.
Irina Alekseeva (4-1) has fought majority of her pro career in her native country of Russia. She most recently fought in Bellator and defeated kickboxer Stephanie Page via unanimous decision at Bellator 269 back in October 2021. She will take on her toughest competitor to date in Stephanie Egger this weekend at UFC Vegas 72.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
UFC Vegas 72 Odds: Stephanie Egger-Irina Alekseeva Odds
Stephanie Egger: -300
Irina Alekseeva: +235
Over 2.5 Rounds: -146
Under 2.5 Rounds: +114
How to Watch Stephanie Egger vs. Irina Alekseeva
TV: ESPN+
Stream: ESPN App
Time: 4:30 p.m. ET/ 1:30 p.m. PT (Prelims)
Why Stephanie Egger Will Win
Stephanie Egger is an experienced judoka and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter. She excels when she is able to bully her opponents against the cage and inside the clinch. She then utilizes her trips and hip throws to get her opponent to the mat where she is most comfortable in top control.
From there she methodically works her way to mount and ends up finishing majority of her fights with her patented armbar. If Egger is able to utilize her strengths in this matchup against newcomer Alekseeva, we can possibly see yet another armbar finish on her record.
Why Irina Alekseeva Will Win
Irina Alekseeva comes into her UFC debut off a good win against a respectable opponent in Stephanie Page. She hasn't fought since that fight for Bellator back in October 2021 so there is a possibility we see a better version of her coming into the biggest fight of her career. She normally wants to utilize her size on her opponents and take them to the mat and beat them up there but in this one the game plan may be different. Keeping this fight on the feet and at range will be her path to victory here and could cause a colossal upset in the process.
Final Stephanie Egger-Irina Alekseeva Prediction & Pick
This is a massive step up in competition for Irina Alekseeva, especially in her debut fight for the UFC. Stephanie Egger just seems to be a bit better everywhere and if she is able to get this fight to the mat it's inevitable that we will see a finish here.
Final Stephanie Egger-Irina Alekseeva Prediction & Pick: Stephanie Egger (-300)
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