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Women’s Flyweights

Luana Santos (5-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Juliana Miller (3-2, 1-1 UFC)

ODDS: Santos (-155), Miller (+130)

Miller was a standout personality on Season 30 of “The Ultimate Fighter”—for better or for worse—so there was some interest as to how well “Killer” would fare in the UFC given her skills. Miller is not much of an explosive athlete, but she is large for a flyweight and absolutely dogged in her aggression, mostly in the form of her wrestling and grappling. Her season-clinching win over Brogan Walker was her best performance to date, but her sophomore UFC effort against Veronica Hardy in March was a disappointing step back. Hardy was the much quicker athlete and essentially beat Miller every step of the way ahead of a one-sided decision win. Miller looks to rebound against a UFC newcomer in Santos—a particularly raw signing who is mostly potential over results at this point. Santos shows some flashes of athleticism and looks to be at her best as a grappler, but she also fights behind a bouncy range striking game that has been a mixed bag thus far. She can land with some power, but she can cede the advantage to an opponent who brings aggression to the table, particularly with some wrestling. That makes this a relatively even fight, but with Santos appearing to be the quicker fighter and able to hold her own with Miller’s aggression on the ground, the bet is that the UFC newcomer can make her striking game work against the 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu rep’s fairly messy offerings on the feet. The pick is Santos via decision.

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Santos vs. Miller