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The UFC is back again this week and will return to the Apex for another Fight Night slate in Vegas. The prelims open up with this contest in the Women’s Bantamweight (135lb) Division. Dana White’s Contender Series alumna Hailey Cowan will face off Ailin Perez making her second appearance since her debut. Both women are hungry for a win! Check out our UFC odds series for our Cowan-Perez prediction and pick.
Hailey Cowan is 7-2 in her career and will be making her UFC debut in this fight after having earned a contract in her win on DWCS. In that fight, she was able to use her athletic wrestling and control her opponent en route to a victory. When handing out contracts, Dana White said he saw something special in Cowan but couldn’t “put his finger on [what it is] about her.” She’ll be looking to impress the boss once again with this fight. Cowan stands 5’8″ with a 63-inch reach.
Ailin Perez is also 7-2 in her professional career and will be fighting her second fight in the UFC after a poor performance in her debut. She looked confused against the veteran Stephanie Egger and lost by getting submitted on the ground, a place many thought Perez would out-match Egger. She’ll look to bounce back as it’s now her turn to welcome a newcomer to the octagon. Ailin Perez stands 5’5″ with a 66-inch reach.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
UFC Odds: Hailey Cowan-Ailin Perez Odds
Hailey Cowan: -120
Ailin Perez: -102
Over (2.5) rounds: -190
Under (2.5) rounds: +150
How to Watch Hailey Cowan vs. Ailin Perez
TV: ESPN+
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 4:00 p.m. ET/ 1:00 p.m. PT (Prelims)
*Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Hailey Cowan Will Win
Hailey Cowan entered the UFC scene as a talented wrestler who can use her top pressure to control an opponent for the entire fight. She’s been a dominant wrestler during her time in the regional scene and continues to move forward with this as her style while trying to work on her striking. Her fight style can be seen as boring for some fans, but it proves to be effective in the eyes of the judges.
The path to victory for Cowan is simple. She has the ability to hold down Ailin Perez for all 15 minutes of the fight and land her signature ground-and-pound. She’ll have to be cautious of the submission attempts from Perez and perhaps come up with some of her own as she’s usually not one to advance on the ground for submissions.
Why Ailin Perez Will Win
Ailin Perez really disappointed in her last fight against Egger. While Stephanie Egger is a good fighter, Perez failed to put anything together on the feet and quickly got out-grappled into a submission. She’s prone to getting held down in bottom position on the ground, but will counter this with scrambles and submission attempts with her legs. As a striker, Perez is very aggressive and throws wild shots often. She’s active with her knees and will try to get opponents in her Thai clinch.
Ailin Perez will be coming into this fight with a full camp and feeling healthy ahead of this fight. She has the talent to stun Cowan on the feet and use her jiu-jitsu on the ground. The task for Perez is to finally put her skills together and keep calm when in the octagon. If she can limit her mistakes, Ailin Perez can shock some people in this fight.
Final Hailey Cowan-Ailin Perez Prediction & Pick
This seems to be a fight matchup favored for Cowan as her style of fighting creates a good game plan for a victory here. It will hinge on whether Ailin Perez made any serious adjustments from her last fight and with her full camp at a new gym; I suspect she will have done so. Cowan continues to be impressive, but I’m going to fade the public here and go with Ailin Perez very slightly. Her overall skill set is better than Cowan’s and she’ll be hungry for a win.
Final Ailey Cowan-Ailin Perez Prediction & Pick: Ailin Perez (-102)