UFC 279: Aldana vs Chiasson
The UFC is back in the fight capital of the world this weekend for a PPV showdown that is sure to do numbers with two of the organization’s biggest stars Nate Diaz and Khamzat Chimaev headlining the evening. To help start off the main card we are treated with Irene Aldana vs Macy Chiasson, a women’s bantamweight brawl that could possibly determine the division’s next title contender.
Irene Aldana, fighting out of Guadalajara, Mexico, is a 34 year old orthodox striker that made her way into the UFC in December of 2016. The betting favorite is currently 13-6 and ranked #4 in the bantamweight division. In her last outing vs Yana Kunitskaya she further established her high position in the rankings by finishing Kunitskaya via TKO in the first round. Aldana embodies the spirit of a Mexican fighter and is mostly known for wearing her opponents down with her sharp striking abilities and urgency to finish the fight at all times, earning 2 fight of the night bonuses and 1 performance of the night bonus in her UFC career thus far. Not only is she incredible on the feet but she also has one of the promotion’s best takedown defense rates at 84%, according to her UFC statistics page. Aldana is 3-2 in her last 5 fights with her last loss being via decision versus Holly Holm, another prominent striker in the division. If Irene can achieve a convincing win against Chiasson this weekend, she will quite possibly make history by becoming the first Mexico born title contender that the UFC has seen in the women’s bantamweight division.
On the other hand we have the betting underdog Macy Chiasson, fighting out of Fortis MMA under Saif Sayud, a coach who has been riding a lot of momentum lately. Macy, who is also an orthodox striker, is 31 years of age and currently ranked #10 in the division. Chiasson is the taller fighter standing at 5’11 with a 4” reach advantage over Aldana. Like Aldana, Chiasson is 3-2 in her last 5 bouts with her most recent win coming via split decision versus another bantamweight on this weekend’s card, Norma Dumont. Macy made her UFC debut just 3 fights into her professional career after winning season 28 of The Ultimate Fighter. She is mostly known for her striking, holding a 45% landing accuracy and average takedown defense of 64%. Although Macy is primarily known as a striker, she can be a threat on the ground as she is the holder of a brown belt in BJJ. Macy has been the betting favorite for 5 of her last 9 fights, closing as high as a -900 favorite over Shanna Young, whom she won a decision over.
The Breakdown & Prediction
This fight is interesting for multiple reasons. Not only do Chiasson and Aldana share similar aggression and eagerness to finish a fight, but the winner of this bout could quite possibly be next up for a title shot against the two division champion Amanda Nunes. This fight between two strikers ultimately comes down to who can find their range, apply the pressure and mix up their game plan the best. Chiasson mixes up her strikes very well, landing over 50% of her shots to the body and legs of her opponents, according to her ESPN statistics page. Macy is also more known for attempting takedowns than Aldana although Aldana is the shorter fighter and as mentioned above, holds one of the best takedown defense averages in the UFC. I believe Aldana needs to use her cardio advantage to pressure Chiasson, work to find her range and capitalize on her ability to mix up strikes to the head, body and legs. We saw Chiasson utilize knees to the body versus Shanna Young to stay at range and I expect that she will try to do the same versus Aldana, although it should be noted that Chiasson is more at risk of getting tko’d or ko’d if she stays in Aldana’s range for too long and fails to time her takedowns well. Aside from the main event, this fight has quite the potential to be fight of the night with both women known for being very hard to finish.
Ultimately, this match up comes down to who can mix up their game plan successfully, secure more control time, inflict more damage and apply pressure at a calculated pace to prevent from getting gassed out. I am going to pick the betting favorite Irene Aldana due to her expected edge in stamina from training at a high elevation, her strong ability to avoid the takedown and the heavy hands and kicks she is known for throwing inside the range of her opponents. My official prediction is Aldana via Decision but I expect this to be a great fight. Enjoy, friends!
Prediction:
Irene Aldana via Decision
(Please note: This prediction is not associated with the MMAPlay365 packages, subscriptions or services)