It’s time once again for a betting prediction and pick for UFC London: Edwards vs. Brady as the Main Card continues with this next bout in the Women’s Strawweight (115) Division. England’s own Molly McCann will return home to face the debuting Alexia Thainara of Brazil. Check the UFC odds series for our McCann-Thainara prediction and pick.
Molly McCann (14-7) comes in with a 7-6 UFC record since 2018. Following a strong three-fight winning streak in 2021-22, she’s now lost three of her last four fights with her most recent coming against Bruna Brasil. She’ll finally return following a cancelled bout to Istela Nunes as she looks to impress her hometown crowd. McCann stands 5-foot-4 with a 62-inch reach.
Alexia Thainara (11-1) will be making her UFC debut following a successful unanimous decision outing on Dana White’s Contender Series. She’s a former title holder in promotions like SFT and X-Force MMA while currently being ranked the No. 1 pound-for-pound woman in Central and South American. Thainara stands 5-foot-4 with a 67-inch reach.
Here are the UFC London Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
UFC London Odds: Molly McCann-Alexia Thainara Odds
Molly McCann: +154
Alexia Thainara: -185
Over 2.5 rounds: -238
Under 2.5 rounds: +180
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Why Molly McCann Will Win
- Last Fight: (L) Bruna Brasil – U DEC
- Last 5: 2-3
- Finishes: 6 KO/TKO, 1 SUB
Molly McCann dropped yet another fight in her last outing despite looking great on the scales and cleaning up her training camp. She ran into a determined striker in Brasil and couldn’t get much of her own offense going. McCann does her best work when pressuring other fighters and throwing a barrage of strikes against the fence. She thrives in a chaotic environment and she’s already proven she has the skills to finish fights inside the distance. She’ll need to work more on defending herself and managing a safe distance while being able to also land her own shots.
On the ground, McCann is a tough fighter to bring down and keep there, but the hope is that she’s been working on her jiu jitsu with teammate Paddy Pimblett. Two of her last three losses have come by way of submission and she’ll be facing another dangerous grappler in this one – McCann will have to do everything in her power to keep this fight on the feet as she’s averaging 5.39 significant strikes per minute. Her takedown defense is just 39%, however, and will need to improve when facing someone as active on the ground as Thainara.
Why Alexia Thainara Will Win
- Last Fight: (W) Rose Conceicao – U DEC
- Last 5: 5-0
- Finishes: 1 KO/TKO, 6 SUB
Alexia Thainara has only been fighting professionally since 2018 and she’s rather fresh onto the scene in terms of fighting bigger names at this level. Her track record, however, speaks for itself as she’s built a name as one of the most dangerous submission specialists at this weight class. She’s the No. 1 pound-for-pound woman in Central and South America, so she’s been on the UFC’s radar for quite some time. This will undoubtedly be the toughest test of her career, but her ability to perform in big moments has her feeling incredibly prepared ahead of this one.
Despite McCann’s slight advantage with her boxing, Thainara is managing to throw more significant strikes per minute at 6.73 while only absorbing 3.07 in return. While the sample size is still relatively small, she may be closer to McCann in the striking department than one may assume. Her main advantage in this matchup will come on the ground, so expect her to waste no time in chasing a leg and dragging McCann down where she can begin to work her submission opportunities.
Final Molly McCann-Alexia Thainara Prediction & Pick
This fight seems like Molly McCann has her back against the wall and there will be a ton of pressure to perform in front of a United Kingdom crowd. Alexia Thainara is certainly not an opponent McCann should be excited to face, but McCann is known to be tough and never shy away from a challenge. If she’s able to make this a dirty scrap and fully commit to the support of her fans, she could pull this upset off and stun her opponent with a big shot that sits her down.
Alexia Thainara, however, is poised for this moment and has the great equalizer in her submission grappling. I expect her to quickly bring this fight to the mat and while Molly McCann should be able to defend herself through the first few exchanges, it’ll only be a matter of time before Thainara sinks in a submission to finish the fight. Let’s put our money on the highly-touted debuting prospect Thainara.
Final Molly McCann-Alexia Thainara Prediction & Pick: Alexia Thainara (-185)
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