12 Jun 2019
One of the most dominant athletes in all of mixed martial arts will put her world title on the line this weekend in front of a packed T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino has looked unstoppable in all of her UFC bouts to date and, this Saturday, she’ll look to make it five wins in a row inside the Octagon as she meets another debutant on the hunt for UFC gold.
The UFC’s women’s 145lbs division is still in its infancy and, as a result, no formal rankings system is yet in place. But while the all-important top 15 is yet to be decided, what cannot be disputed is Cyborg’s place at the very top of the pecking order.
With just one loss in 20 professional MMA bouts, the Brazilian has held world titles in Strikeforce, Invicta and the UFC. And while Cyborg’s striking pedigree – which has earned her no less than 16 KO victories – remains her biggest asset, her capabilities on the ground - as a brown belt in jiu jitsu - are not to be overlooked.
Heading into the fight, Cyborg remains the significant favourite in the UFC betting odds at 1/20, while Kunitskaya is the unknown underdog at 7/1. Shooting for her third straight title defence, Cyborg is expected to pile on the pressure in this fight, display heavy punching and land with impressive accuracy, as we saw her do most recently against former UFC women’s bantamweight champion, Holly Holm.
Cyborg will enjoy a four-inch reach advantage over Kunitskaya, which she will undoubtedly look to exploit in a bid to nullify the Russian’s kicks. A decorated striker, Kunitskaya has a multitude of kicks at her disposal, developed over years of training in Muay Thai and Taekwondo. A Russian champion in both disciplines, Kunitskaya has one of the strongest kicking games that Cyborg will ever have experienced, together with an aggressive fighting style that is likely to see her strategically attack both the head and body of the Brazilian.
In the lead up to this fight, Kunitskaya has been training alongside Holly Holm at Jackson Wink MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico. But while Kunitskaya’s kicking calibre can be likened to that of Holm’s, the Russian presents a slightly different form of challenge on the feet. Kunitskaya’s combined experience in Taekwondo and Muay Thai has equipped her with intelligent footwork, explosive speed and unpredictable movement. Expect her to be illusive, to move in and out of range, and dance out of the way of Cyborg’s shots as she looks to land powerful attacks of her own, from spinning kicks to knees in the clinch.
For Kunitskaya, there is little to lose in the fight and, as we have come to learn, a fighter who enters the Octagon without pressure or expectation is a fighter to fear.
In the co-main event, veteran Frankie Edgar meets top prospect Brian Ortega. With Edgar the favourite at 1/2 in the MMA odds, Ortega is one to watch at 6/4.
10 years younger than Edgar, Ortega – at 26 years old – is one of the most exciting young talents on the UFC roster. A hugely capable jiu jistu practitioner, Ortega has trained for many years the direction of Rener Gracie. That training has equipped Ortega with a world-class submission game and a deep understanding of how to manipulate his opponents’ decisions.
We have seen four third round finishes from Ortega in the UFC, which demonstrates his willingness to drag his opponents into the later rounds, maintain his composure and use fatigue as a weapon. But Edgar is no stranger to going the distance and Ortega is unlikely ever to have faced an opponent as relentless in his pursuit of victory as his next.
“The Answer” pushes forward, out-strikes his opponents and is unafraid to close the distance. Expect him to come out hard and fast, to try and wear Ortega down and pile on the pressure. Given Ortega’s capability of securing sneaky submissions from bottom position, however, the question will be - if Edgar finds himself on top, can he avoid being caught from the bottom?
Elsewhere on the card heavyweight veteran Andrei Arlovski meets Stefan Struve, charismatic young prospect Sean O’Malley puts his 9-0 record on the line and one of the greatest BJJ practitioners on the plant, Mackenzie Dern, makes her highly anticipated UFC debut.
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