We’re back and ready to bring you our betting prediction and pick for the UFC Vegas 95 Main Card as we turn our attention towards this ranked bout in the Women’s Bantamweight (135) Division. No. 12 Yana Santos of Russia will take on No. 14-ranked Chelsea Chandler of Stockton, California. Check out our UFC odds series for our Santos-Chandler prediction and pick.
Yana Santos (14-8) has gone 4-5 in her UFC career since 2018. She’s run into trouble over her last three consecutive fights, losing to the likes of Irene Aldana, Holly Holm, and Karol Rosa in her last bout. At 34 years old, she’ll be looking to get back in the win column and enter the twilight of her fight career on a high note. Santos stands 5’6″ with a 68.5-inch reach.
Chelsea Chandler (6-2) has gone 2-1 in the UFC since 2022. Following an impressive win over Julija Stoliarenko in her debut, she dropped a bout against Norma Dumont and most recently rebounded with a unanimous win over Josiane Nunes. Now, she’ll hope to leapfrog the rankings over an established veteran. Chandler stands 5’8″ with a 68-inch reach.
Here are the UFC Vegas 95 Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
UFC Vegas 95 Odds: Yana Santos-Chelsea Chandler Odds
Yana Santos: -145
Chelsea Chandler: +125
Over 2.5 rounds: -324
Under 2.5 rounds: +264
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Why Yana Santos Will Win
Yana Santos comes into this bout with a wealth of experience over Chelsea Chandler in terms of fight and variability in her opponents. She’s a very skilled kickboxer and does her best work when fighting from range. She’s no slouch on the ground either and can do an adequate job of defending herself from there. Still, against an even stronger grappler like Chandler, Santos will want to keep this fight on the feet where she’s most comfortable doing so. Her opponent is still very fresh into her UFC career and if Santos can lean on her experience and confidence in a three-round fight, she should be able to strike her way to a decision win.
Yana Santos is very measured with her striking approach and typically likes to take her time in realizing her opponents’ rhythm and countering with her own game. She may not have a chance to do so with how aggressive Chandler is in closing the distance, so this will be about staying on her feet and forcing the striking exchanges. Santos will also have to open her kicking game up in an effort to hinder the movement of her opponent.
Why Chelsea Chandler Will Win
Chelsea Chandler has looked like a very solid prospect through her first two UFC fights behind her aggressive, grappling-heavy game. She trains out of Cesar Gracie Jiu Jitsu, which is famed for housing the Diaz brothers. Chandler fights with a similar attitude and she’s extremely mean with her grappling in the cage. Fighting behind a 60% takedown accuracy as well, her intentions on getting the fight to the ground become apparent in the opening rounds. If she can grab a hold of Santos early into this fight and bring her confidence down, she should be able to take this fight.
Chelsea Chandler is still working on catching her striking game up to her grappling and she’ll have a tough task in facing a balanced striker like Santos. Still, Chandler has worked against strikers in the past and this fight will be about closing the distance and finding the takedown. As a result, she’s had to improve her defense on the feet and if she can get a read on Santos’ timing early, she should be able to find a leg and get this fight to the feet. We’d be surprised if we see her standing for the majority of this bout.
Final Yana Santos-Chelsea Chandler Prediction & Pick
Yana Santos and Chelsea Chandler will be meeting in a high-stakes bout on the UFC Vegas 95 Main Card as fans will be treated to a classic matchup of striker vs. grappler. Yana Santos is much more experienced when it comes to UFC-level competition and her striking is still levels above her opponents’. For that reason, she’s the rightful favorite and has the skills needed to counter a strong grappler like Chandler.
However, Chelsea Chandler has been improving tangibly through her short UFC stint and she’ll only be on an upward trajectory from here. Her striking is bound to get better with the Diaz brothers in her gym and her grappling will continue to be a problem for everyone else in the division.
For our final prediction, we’ll take a chance here with the underdog as Chelsea Chandler finds her takedown and controls this fight from the ground. While Santos is solid herself on the mat, Chelsea Chandler’s will to find the submission will ultimately be the difference in this one.
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Final Yana Santos-Chelsea Chandler Prediction & Pick: Chelsea Chandler (+125)
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