Point of interest: Odds and opinions
The oddsmakers and public seem to be stacking their chips behind the double champ, listing Nunes -280 and de Randamie +240 as of this writing.
With Nunes cementing herself as the greatest female fighter of all time around this time last year, it’s hard to be surprised to her installed as such a high favorite for a fight she’s already won once before. Still, I can’t help but wonder if there’s more volatility to these odds than meets the eye.
Aside from the classic fighter trope (that even the greats are not immune to) of “not showing up,” I do believe that there are paths to victory for de Randamie. Though Nunes has shown a solid chin throughout her career (as most of her TKO losses came more from fatigue/a loss of focus), I could see de Randamie looking to use the latter to lull Nunes into her style of fight on the feet – quietly edging her out from a scoring perspective.
That said, counting on Nunes to slow down or lose focus has shown to be something that happens a lot less these days.
Sure, her fight with Shevchenko wasn’t exactly fought at the most torrid pace, and she may have been the one who was firmly in the driver’s seat for her five-round affair with Raquel Pennington, but Nunes has shown multiple improvements – like pacing, for example – since moving shop to American Top Team.
Couple that with her undeniable advantage on the floor, and it’s hard not to back the proven product who comes from a camp that is notorious for sending out well-prepared fighters and producing champions. The pick is Nunes to safely slow-play the first round, finding a way to repeat history in the second with a stoppage by way of strikes to a grounded opponent.
Prediction: Nunes inside the distance
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