Preview: UFC Fight Night 198 Prelims

Women’s Strawweights

NR | Luana Pinheiro (9-1, 1-0 UFC) vs. NR | Sam Hughes (5-3, 0-2 UFC)

ODDS: Pinheiro (-410), Hughes (+330)

Hughes was an interesting short-notice pickup for the UFC in 2020. Less than two years into her pro career at the time of her signing, “Sampage” was firmly in the promising-but-raw camp. She had some good ideas around putting together a smart pressure game, but she did not have much in the way of technical depth or overwhelming physicality to make things easy on the margins. Tecia Torres was a ridiculously tough first ask on paper and in practice—Hughes’ UFC debut was a one-sided loss—but the hope was that the former Legacy Fighting Alliance headliner would get a soft enough touch in matchmaking to learn on the job and stick on the UFC roster. Instead, muay Thai prodigy Konklak Suphisara made for a tough next assignment. Hughes now faces an uphill battle to break her losing streak against Pinheiro. Brazil’s Pinheiro still has plenty of question marks despite her current winning streak. She has gotten by on running over opponents with aggression and physicality, but she has yet to be tested in deeper waters. Pinheiro’s UFC debut against Randa Markos figured to answer some questions, but an illegal upkick from Markos ended the fight before the bout truly got going. Despite her struggles in the Octagon thus far, Hughes is still much tougher and more physical than Pinheiro’s typical competition to date. As a result, it may just turn out that Pinheiro is a one-round fighter that Hughes can outlast down the stretch. However, this looks like another fight where Hughes will be forced to lock horns with a stronger opponent and be worse off for it, with Pinheiro likely being able to bust out some impressive judo throws on her way to victory. The pick is Pinheiro via decision.