We’re set for another betting prediction and pick as UFC Fight Night continues from Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. This next bout takes us to the Women’s Strawweight (115) Division as Russia’s Viktoriia Dudakova will take on Fortis MMA’s own Sam Hughes. Check out our UFC odds series for our Dudakova-Hughes prediction and pick.
Viktoriia Dudakova (8-0) has remained unbeaten through her first two UFC appearances and has yet to suffer a loss in her professional career. Both fights ended in dominant fashion for Dudakova, but she struggled to make weight ahead of her most recent bout. Looking to dial things in, she’ll hope to keep her record unblemished as the betting favorite here. Dudakova stands 5’5″ with a 67-inch reach.
Sam Hughes (8-6) has gone 3-5 during her UFC stint since 2020. She’s been trading wins and losses, going 3-2 in her last five contests. She lost her most recent bout by unanimous decision to Yazmin Jauregui and will need a win here desperately to salvage her UFC opportunity as the small betting underdog. Hughes stands 5’5″ with a 64-inch reach.
Here are the UFC Abu Dhabi Odds, courtesy of BetOnline.
UFC Abu Dhabi Odds: Viktoriia Dudakova-Sam Hughes Odds
Viktoriia Dudakova: -161
Sam Hughes: +141
Over 2.5 rounds: -250
Under 2.5 rounds: +350
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Why Viktoriia Dudakova Will Win
Viktoriia Dudakova has been very successful through her first two UFC fights on a count of her aggression and willingness to move forward in the striking. While she’s still relatively green in terms of experience, she fights with a high IQ and won’t take any unnecessary risks while trying to lock up the win. At just 25 years old, she shows a ton of poise and composure when fighting more experienced opponents. With half of her wins coming by way of submission, she may take a different route in this fight against an aggressive wrestler like Sam Hughes. Still, her speed should be enough for her to have the more effective attacks against her opponent on the feet.
To be successful here, Viktoriia Dudakova may want to keep this fight standing and try to beat Hughes with her movement. Her opponent favors a more stagnant fight and will wrestle along the cage to negate offense. For Dudakova, staying in perpetual motion will be key to her success as she tries to counter punch and stuff the takedown attempts from her opponent. If she finds herself on her back, Dudakova should have the skills necessary to use her jiu jitsu and threaten with submissions from the ground.
Why Sam Hughes Will Win
Sam Hughes has a very simple game plan when fighting: close the distance with jabs, grab hold of the opponent against the fence, and work towards the takedown and eventual ground-and-pound. There’s no frills and no unnecessary movements, so she’s very intent on forcing a dominant style of grappling on her opponents. She may want to be careful spending too much time on the ground as her opponent is a seasoned submission artist, but Hughes is typically sound on the ground and has only been submitted once in her career. She’s good about advancing positions and keeping her opponents grounded with her control. Look for her to implement the sam game plan as she knows this win would be crucial to extending her UFC career.
Sam Hughes comes in as the short betting underdog in this fight and she’s gown accustomed to being in this spot. She should be the better wrestler in this matchup, so she should play into her strengths and control this fight with her grappling. Her defense will also have to be perfect as her opponent could begin to drown her with striking output. Hughes will look to tie Dudakova against the fence, eventually forcing the takedown and wearing her opponent out on the ground.
Final Viktoriia Dudakova-Sam Hughes Prediction & Pick
Both women come into this fight with a lot to prove as they try to impress on an international stage. Viktoriia Dudakova has been perfect through this point of her career and she’ll look to continue dominating with her active striking and grappling. Sam Hughes is desperate for a win here following a loss in her last fight and 3-5 UFC record, so we could see her take a much more offensive approach and really focus on earning control time during this fight.
It’ll be very interesting to see whether Hughes can hold Dudakova down and I don’t expect Dudakova to have the opening to finish Hughes with her striking. Still, the biggest difference will be Dudakova’s ability to get up off the ground or reverse positions to eventually take Hughes’ back and find the finish. Let’s roll with the undefeated favorite for our final prediction.
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Final Viktoriia Dudakova-Sam Hughes Prediction & Pick: Viktoriia Dudakova (-161)
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