Preview: UFC Fight Night 72 ‘Bisping vs. Leites’

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WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHTS

Joanne Calderwood (9-1, 1-1 UFC) vs. Cortney Casey (4-1, 0-0 UFC)

THE MATCHUP: Scotland’s highest-profile fighter, Calderwood, gets an opportunity to get back on track in front of her home crowd against Casey, who steps up on short notice to replace the injured Bec Rawlings. Calderwood looked to be on track for a title shot but suffered a massive upset loss to the debuting Maryna Moroz in April.

Calderwood has a good skill base, but she is not a great athlete and is still fairly raw. Her game revolves around her muay Thai base and focuses on staying all the way outside -- she works behind an arsenal of front and round kicks along with the occasional jab -- or all the way into the clinch. She is allergic to punching distance, is quite hittable there and does not have much pop in her hands. On the inside, however, Calderwood is a monster. She throws beautiful stepping knees and, when locked up with her opponent, excels at dropping in knees, elbows and short uppercuts. Calderwood is a decent wrestler with nice trips and throws in the clinch and solid defense, but she is still a relatively novice grappler who makes serious mistakes on top and on the bottom.

Casey is raw but talented. She is mostly a striker, with a nice 1-2, strong low kicks and good instincts on the counter; and she has shown some real power in her hands. On the downside, she is far too willing to brawl, has a tendency to swing wildly from her hips and pays little attention to positioning in the cage. The clinch is a strong suit, as she controls well and throws powerful knees. She appears to have a basic understanding of wrestling, but there is little information available. On the mat, Casey scrambles well but, like many athletic and talented young fighters, has a tendency to overcommit and end up in bad positions.

THE PICK: While Calderwood ran into trouble against a short-notice opponent last time out, I do not think that will be the case this time. Casey is talented and will likely become a staple of the division, but Calderwood is bigger, better in the clinch, more diverse at range and likely the better wrestler. The pick is Calderwood by decision.

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