'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
#4 Montana De La Rosa vs. Nadia Kassem
I’ll be honest and say I have no clue how this Women’s Flyweight tilt has found its way onto a UFC pay-per-view main card in 2019, but c’est la vie. The likely reasoning? Nadia Kassem is an Australian fighter who should be popular with this crowd, and both women have a marketable look that could mean they catch on with the fans with a win.
It’s been well over a year since we last saw Kassem fight, as she’s been on the shelf since her November 2017 win over Alex Chambers due to injuries. That fight took place at 115lbs, but Kassem missed weight, hence the move to 125lbs here. It was largely a grappling-based affair, and after some early issues, Kassem got the better of her more experienced opponent, coming close with a handful of submissions to cement a decision win.
At 23 years old – assuming her injuries haven’t prevented her from training – it’s likely that Kassem will have improved dramatically since we last saw her; footage on her is sparse but it’s interesting to note that despite outgrappling Chambers, she won all of her previous 4 fights via strikes. As a prospect then, she appears to be pretty decent.
De La Rosa meanwhile competed on the 26th season of TUF in the tournament to crown the inaugural Flyweight champion, and won her first fight before losing to eventual champion Nicco Montano in the quarter-finals. Since then she’s won two straight fights, both by submission – including a rear naked choke of the tough Rachael Ostovich last July.
This is a tough one to pick for me; both women are the same age although De La Rosa has far more experience, and both appear to have pretty excellent grappling chops. In a newer division like this, it’s always hard to make a concrete guess as to who will win, but I’m leaning slightly towards Kassem as I feel like she could surprise De La Rosa with her striking and have enough to fend her off on the ground.
The Pick: Kassem via unanimous decision
