Preview: UFC Fight Night 246 Prelims

Women’s Flyweights

#14 WFLW | Jasmine Jasudavicius (11-3, 5-2 UFC) vs. #13 WFLW | Ariane Lipski (17-9, 6-6 UFC)

ODDS: Jasudavicius (-230), Lipski (+190)

Jasudavicius’s mixed martial arts career has been a bit of an uphill battle, as she got a late start in the sport and isn’t a standout athlete, but she has certainly achieved whatever ceiling she was going to establish, as she has done well to become a stalwart near the bottom of the UFC’s flyweight rankings. Jasudavicius isn’t fast, but she’s large for the division and has an impressive dedication towards leveraging that size through constant pressure. She has found some surprising success outwrestling opponents and has shown some flashes of impressive ground-and-pound when given the opportunity. Unfortunately, that lack of high-level athleticism has made her UFC career a bit of a Sisyphean affair, as the Canadian keeps winning her way up into getting turned back through some clear losses. Natalia Silva’s speed made her impossible to track down, while Tracy Cortez was also able to stay ahead of her in terms of speed and wrestling skill. After rebounding from the Cortez loss with two impressive victories, Jasudavicius finds herself once again trying to break through against a more athletic opponent, this time in the form of Brazil’s Lipski.

Hopes were high that Lipski could become a contender immediately upon her UFC debut in 2019, but her getting thrown into the fire exposed some issues that weren’t as apparent during a strong regional career. She did well to live up to her “Queen of Violence” nickname, but Lipski’s focus on pouring on offense left her just as open to getting hit in return, so she often walked herself into more trouble than she was dishing out. Lipski still won enough fights to be interesting, but she seemed to be a lost cause after a few years, until her first flashes of improvement in a late 2021 win against Mandy Bohm. Lipski showed some ability to balance her aggression with some patience for the first time in a decision win over Bohm, so naturally, that all went out the window in her next fight against Priscila Cachoeira, who successfully lured her into a brawl and scored a quick knockout. The Cachoeira loss now seems to be much more of a blip on the radar. If anything, Lipski might now be too patient at times, but her athletic gifts have been enough to take apart a lot of competition. Even her April loss to Karine Silva was a moral victory, as she lasted three rounds with the type of finishing threat who would have torn her apart in years prior. This pairing against Jasudavicius is a close call, pitting the Canadian’s process against the Brazilian’s athleticism, but the home-country fighter gets the mild lean. Lipski’s takedown defense is still a bit of a liability, and while she has been able to make some impressive things happen on the mat, Jasudavicius has the type of thoughtful ground game that should be able to bank control without falling into trouble. The potential for the former KSW champion to stay quicker and pick Jasudavicius apart on the feet might be more of a worry for the Canadian’s corner, but Lipski’s recent low-output results dull a bit of that concern. The pick is Jasudavicius via decision.

Jump To »
Zahabi vs. Munhoz
Jasudavicius vs. Lipski
Jourdain vs. Henry
Zalal vs. Shore
Nascimento vs. Romanov
Sidey vs. Armfield
Gibson vs. Anheliger
Horth vs. Petrovic