Irene Aldana and Yana Kunitskaya face off on Saturday in a main card showdown at UFC 264 in a women's bantamweight match at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Aldana is currently ranked 4th in the division while Kunitskaya is ranked 5th.
Irena Aldana comes into this fight with a 12-6 record overall and she has won two of her last three fights. Aldana’s last fight though was a loss against Holly Holm. Aldana was outstruck 154-68 and that led to the unanimous decision loss. Aldana is averaging 5.52 significant strikes per minute while absorbing 5.97 significant strikes per minute. Aldana for the most part likes to keep the fight on the feet and is averaging only 0.23 takedowns every 15 minutes. Aldana is successful on 50 percent of her takedown attempts, and also stops 84 percent of her opponents takedown attempts. If Aldana wants to win this fight, it’s going to be about limiting damage and controlling the pace.
On the other side of this fight is Yana Kunitskaya who comes into this one with a 14-5 record overall and she has won two fights in a row. Kunitskaya’s last fight came against Ketlen Vieira and it was a fight she dominated. She outstruck her opponent 47-7 and that was the difference and that led to the victory. Kunitskaya is averaging 4.22 significant strikes per minute while absorbing 2.62 significant strikes per minute. She is averaging 1.62 successful takedowns every 15 minutes, and he is successful on 53 percent of his takedown attempts. She is also stopping 50 percent of her opponents takedown attempts.
Aldana looked really bad in the last fight against Holm, and she isn’t going to improve much in this game. Look for Yana Kunitskaya to find success early, and she is going to wear down her opponent. Back Yana Kunitskaya to win this fight.
AUTHOR: Shane Mickle
