UFC on ESPN 43 Holly Holm vs. Yana Santos: Picks & Predictions
This weekend, the UFC will have its Fight Night event in San Antonio, Texas, and, at least on paper, it should be a good one. The main event of UFC Fight Night: Marlon Vera vs. Cory Sandhagen is a significant bantamweight contest, and there are also significant matches in the male and female flyweight divisions.
Seemingly being overlooked, a banger of a women’s bantamweight bout is teed up for the co-main event as Holly Holm welcomes back Yana Santos from a two-year layoff. Can the 41-year-old win this fight to set off one final title run?
Let’s dive in.
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- Marlon Vera vs. Cory Sandhagen
UFC Fight Night: Holly Holm vs. Yana Santos
All odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
Betting Profile: Holy Holm (14-6-0)
Last Five Fights (L-W-W-L-W)
In a challenging matchup against Yana Santos, 41-year-old Holm will start one final march toward the top of the bantamweight class after the UFC granted her an astounding six-fight extension. Holm hasn’t fought since 2020, losing a contentious split decision to Ketlen Vieri in a fight that generated controversy from that decision by the judges.
Even yet, when we saw Holm in 2020, she convincingly defeated both Irene Aldana and Raquel Pennington, both by decision. Holm is a boxer at heart and decent on the ground, as she rose to the top of the division mostly as a result of her striking abilities.
Betting Profile: Yana Santos (14-6-0)
Last Five Fights (L-W-W-L-W)
The ring rust Santos is dealing with in this match, in my opinion, offsets Holm’s age disadvantage. We haven’t seen Santos fight in nearly two years, and when we did, it wasn’t good. Santos took a break from the octagon to give birth to her child, but she left following a vicious knockout.
Irene Aldana knocked out Santos in the first round of their fight, which was on the undercard of UFC 264: Poirier vs. McGregor 3. This put an end to Santos’ two-fight winning streak.
Bottom Line
Santos is a tough veteran who excels at a number of things, but I don’t think she can keep up with Holm’s pace, and I believe Holm will win this match as she racks up points early and often. If Holms can win the early rounds, I like a defensive game plan in the later rounds as she cruises to victory in this one.
Best Bet: Holly Holm by Decision (-120 via DraftKings)
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