Women’s Bantamweights
NR | Stephanie Egger (5-2, 0-1 UFC) vs. NR | Shanna Young (7-3, 0-1 UFC)ODDS: Egger (-122), Young (+102)
Each woman looks to rebound from an unsuccessful UFC debut in this one. Switzerland’s Egger stepped in on late notice in 2020 for a bout against Tracy Cortez that figured to be a solid litmus test for both women. Cortez was a stout wrestler who may have been undersized for the bantamweight division, while Egger was an aggressive grappler who was relatively unproven. Cortez proved to be the stronger fighter, and from there, Egger was mostly stuck, as that aggressive grappling essentially makes up the entirety of her game. Young should prove an easier test, as it is a bit of a surprise that her UFC return comes at 135 pounds. While she has fought in the weight class before, she has found most of her success at 125 pounds.
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Young is also a fighter who tends to lean on her size and physicality, which made her late-notice UFC debut against Macy Chiasson a particularly tough ask and figured to set up for a subsequent cut back down to flyweight. Egger is not such an overwhelming force that Young cannot find some success, particularly on the feet. However, Egger also figures to have little trouble immediately getting to the best parts of her game, so it will be up to Young to escape trouble and fight back. The pick is Egger via first-round submission.
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