UFC Fight Night: Holm vs Aldana- Germaine de Randamie vs Julianna Pena: Prediction and Analysis

The main card of UFC Fight Night: Holm vs Aldana is primed to see another exciting women’s bantamweight clash. Former featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie will square off against Julianna Pena in a bout that has implications in the 135-pound division. The bantamweight division is constantly on the lookout for challengers due to the presence of a supremely dominant divisional queen.

Amanda Nunes has captained a tight ship at 135-pounds, racking up statement wins over several top names. ‘The Lioness’ hasn’t stepped back into the cage since her win at UFC 250 and will now return to face another grizzly contender. The winner of the aforementioned bantamweight scrap could easily find themselves knocking on the door for UFC gold. They could seal a championship opprtunity with an eye-catching performance.

UFC women’s bantamweight: Germaine de Randamie vs Julianna Pena

The ‘Iron Lady’ from the Netherlands is entering the cage for the first time since her title fight against Nunes. She put up a valiant performance and at times brought forth a serious threat to the champion on the feet. In fact, her stand-up prowess led the Brazilian champion to rely on her grappling as a safer bet to win.

Although she’s just had 13 pro fights, De Randamie is one of the most seasoned campaigners on the women’s roster. She has an extensive background in Muay-Thai and kickboxing and has transitioned well into MMA. Moreover, Julianna Pena will look to exploit her weakness in the takedown game as Amanda Nunes was successful in doing.

Julianna has suffered from extreme inactivity in the cage and will have to be more consistent. She is coming off a win against Nicco Montano from July 2019 but fought back in 2017 prior to that. ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ can adapt on the fly and possesses a fairly well-rounded skill set.

Going into the fight against a veteran striker like Germaine, ring rust could play a role in Pena’s downfall. De Randamie remains one of the best at-range strikers in the company and should be able to pick apart Pena’s forward movement. Should there be even a minor improvement in her takedown defense, the former 145-pound champion will likely win the fight.

Prediction: Germaine de Randamie to claim a unanimous decision win.

Read: UFC Fight Night: Holm vs Aldana-Holly Holm vs Irene Aldana: Prediction and Analysis