MMA Event Breakdown - UFC 292: Sterling vs. O'Malley
UFC 292: Sterling vs. O’Malley
The UFC has returned to Boston with an absolute banger of a card, live and exclusive on ESPN+ pay-per-view. The event will showcase two incredible championship bouts between deserving pairs, several noteworthy prospects, and intriguing action fights too! From the Silva girls on the prelims to Ian Garry on the main card feature, the UFC is highlighting some of their youth movement and trying to facilitate natural turnover within several of their meaningful divisions.
Karine Silva vs. Maryna Moroz
Fight Odds: -150 Silva vs. +125 Moroz
Weight Class: 125lb. (Women’s Flyweight)
Many fight fans will not realize this, but the preliminary curtain jerker we are treated to at UFC 292 is a rematch 9 years in the making. All the way back in 2014, Maryna Moroz submitted Karine Silva via armbar, and now she will have another opportunity to compete against the Brazilian jiu jitsu ace. Karine Silva projects to be one of the scariest women on the roster, using her power striking and her lethal submission game to inspire fear in the hearts and minds of her opponents. Moroz should have a degree of confidence knowing she beat Silva in the past, but it can also create undue pressure on the athlete that “SHOULD” win.
I thought I would like the Moroz side more in this spot, but she was giving up her back two fights ago to Mariya Agapova, and getting cleanly outboxed by Jennifer Maia is never a good look. If Moroz is able to stay safe in the grappling, the question becomes who will land more efficiently on the feet over the course of 15 minutes. The stats suggest Moroz will throw and land more, but the eye test tells me Silva may be the fighter landing with more power and bad intentions. Moroz has suffered one knockdown already in her UFC career, and Silva is one of the most powerful women in the UFC. If Silva doesn’t get the early SUB, I think she has to grit out a close, nip-tuck DEC.
Prediction: Karine Silva defeats Maryna Moroz via SUB1/SDEC