UFC Vegas 82: Brendan Allen vs. Paul Craig continues on the prelims with a fight in the women’s bantamweight division between Lucie Pudilova and Ailin Perez. Pudilova is coming off of a controversial split decision loss in her last fight meanwhile, Perez was able to get the first win of her UFC career her last time out. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Pudilova-Perez prediction and pick.
Lucie Pudilova (14-8) made the most of her second opportunity in the UFC winning her short-notice fight against Yanan Wu but unfortunately dropped her next fight via split decision against Joselyne Edwards. She will need to get back on track this weekend against Ailin Perez if she’s going to want to keep her UFC dreams alive.
Ailin Perez (8-3) stepped up on short notice to take on Stephanie Egger at featherweight who she lost to by second-round rear-naked choke. However, she was able to get her first win inside the octagon while breaking a UFC record for recording the most takedowns in a single women’s MMA fight (10) when she defeated Ashlee Evans-Smith. She will be looking to build off of that performance when she takes on Lucie Pudilova at UFC Vegas 82.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
UFC Vegas 82 Odds: Lucie Pudilova-Ailin Perez Odds
Lucie Pudilova: +154
Ailin Perez: -185
Over 2.5 Rounds: -280
Under 2.5 Rounds: +210
How to Watch Lucie Pudilova vs. Ailin Perez
TV: ESPN+
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 2:00 p.m. ET/11:00 a.m. PT (Prelims)
Why Lucie Pudilova Will Win
Lucie Pudilova had a rough go in her first stint with the UFC but she was able to battle back and after going 5-1 she was given a short-notice opportunity that she made the most out of by beating Yanan Wu. However, she dropped her next bout to Joselyne Edwards via a very controversial split decision and will be looking to get back on track when she takes on the surging Ailin Perez on Saturday.
Pudilova has a knack for being gritty and just outworking her opponents which will come in handy against someone like Perez who tends to slow down as the fight gets into the later rounds. Perez will be looking to take the fight to the mat as much as possible and while Pudilova may not be the best grappler out there, she has still shown the ability to defend takedowns well and get back to her feet. As long as this fight stays standing it’s her fight to lose.
Why Ailin Perez Will Win
Ailin Perez stepped in on very short notice up a weight class against a fighter in Stephanie Egger who just overpowered her into a second-round submission. She was able to get back on track in her last bout against Ashlee Evans-Smith while breaking the UFC record for the most takedowns landed in a single women’s MMA fight.
Ever since making it to the UFC, Perez has moved to South Florida and has bounced around to two different gyms from MMA Masters to now settling in at The GOAT Shed. They have certainly helped her level up during her time there and she showed her progression in her last fight the most. She does her best work when she’s able to use her strength to just bully her opponents to the mat and that’s where she will have to take this fight to be victorious on Saturday.
Final Lucie Pudilova-Ailin Perez Prediction & Pick
This should be a fun scrap between these two women’s bantamweight fighters. Pudilova is looking to prove that she belongs to be in the UFC as she tries to get back on track meanwhile, Perez is coming into this fight to prove to the naysayers that she is the future of the women’s bantamweight division.
Pudilova is by far the most experienced fighter that Perez has faced in her 10-fight MMA career. She has been in there with some of the best that the UFC has to offer and has shown a ton of resilience and no quit attitude that’s really hard to match. Perez will need to be even better than she was against Evans-Smith and will certainly need to dominate this fight on the mat much like she did in that fight as well. Ultimately, Perez is going to do her best at attempting to take Pudilova to the mat and she may be successful early but Pudilova will eventually be able to defend the takedowns a lot easier as the fight moves on and that’s when she should be able to take over with her striking, aggression, and clinch work as she gets back into the win column this Saturday.
Final Lucie Pudilova-Ailin Perez Prediction & Pick: Lucie Pudilova (+154), Over 2.5 Rounds (-280)
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