Preview: UFC 192 ‘Cormier vs. Gustafsson’

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Women’s Bantamweights

Jessica Eye (11-3) vs Julianna Pena (7-2)

THE MATCHUP: Wayward contenders look to get back on track in this meaningful women’s bantamweight scrap.

If there is one word that describes Pena, it is “scrappy.” If there is a second word, it is “mean.” The 26-year-old has experienced some serious setbacks in her young MMA career. In 2012, she was struck by a tree felled by a drunk driver and knocked unconscious. Two months later, she experienced her first professional loss and then a second in an ill-fated move down to flyweight. Returning to bantamweight, Pena ran through the ranks of “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 18, only to suffer a knee injury in training after dominating Jessica Rakoczy in the final. Damaging her ACL, MCL, LCL and meniscus, Pena was sidelined for more than a year while she recovered. Despite the trauma, Pena returned to competition and shellacked Milana Dudieva in a little less than four minutes in April.

That scrappiness is embodied in Pena’s fighting style. Relying more on aggression than technique, Pena tends to bully her way into the clinch, where she looks for a selection of trips and double-leg takedowns; and that is where the “mean” part comes in. On the ground, Pena is a brutal pressure fighter, using smashing ground-and-pound to distract her opponent while she works to pass guard. In her two UFC showings, Pena has spent the vast majority of her fight time on the ground and a healthy portion of that time in mount, where she smashes away with vicious elbows and straight punches.

Eye, by comparison, is much more concerned with finesse. An archetypal out-fighter, Eye uses a long jab and a stinging straight right hand to keep her opponents from walking her down. Her offensive output often lacks variety, but less technical strikers typically struggle to close the distance without running into Eye’s fists. Even when they do, Eye is a strong clinch fighter, and she will smash opponents against the fence in order to tire them out and bank rounds.

Eye’s problems have come in close exchanges, where her technical striking devolves into wild brawling, each consecutive punch putting her further out of position and leaving her more vulnerable to a damaging strike or takedown attempt. Eye has some solid wrestling skills when the fight hits the ground and a knack for sneaky submissions, but ultimately, she struggles to free herself from the control of a more positionally savvy grappler.

THE ODDS: Pena (-235), Eye (+200)

THE PICK: Eye has the style to beat a fighter like Pena but lacks the experience to execute it. Pena may not be as complete a fighter as Miesha Tate, but she is more aggressive and packs enough power in her hands to make her a threat even in a purely standup battle. Eye will almost certainly get in her licks, but there is no reason to believe Pena will care enough to slow her assault. The pick is Pena by unanimous decision.

Last Fights » The Prelims