UFC Fight Night: Hall vs Strickland Prelims- Nicco Montano vs Yanan Wu: Prediction and Analysis

UFC Fight Night: Hall vs Strickland will feature an exciting women’s bantamweight clash in its preliminary card as the American Nicco Montano takes on the Chinese Yanan Wu. The clash will be an exciting one as both the fighters will look to make their march towards the upper echelons of the division.

Montano will look to make a comeback after 2-year hiatus. She last fought against the current title challenger Julianna Pena at UFC Fight Night 155. She has so far picked up 4 wins and incurred 3 losses in her brief career. Out of her 4 wins, 2 have come via KO/TKO and 2 via decision.

Meanwhile, the Chinese ‘Mulan’ Wu would like to bring her UFC career on the right path after suffering consecutive losses. In her last fight against UFC newcomer Joselyne Edwards at UFC on ABC 1: Holloway vs Kattar, she lost via a unanimous decision.

Her career record stands at 11 wins and 4 losses. 7 of her 11 have come via KO/TKO and 2 each via decision and submissions.

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Nicco Montano vs Yanan Wu- analysis

If we compare their physical stats, Montano stands at 5 feet 5″ tall with a reach of 65″. ‘Mulan’ meanwhile, has a reach of 66″ and has a height advantage as she stands at 5 feet and 8″.

Montano has a good significant strike landing number with 5.6 per minute with 41% accuracy. Meanwhile, Wu lands 4.51 significant strikes per minute with 45% accuracy. The former absorbs 4.43 strikes with a 64% defense rate. Wu absorbs 4.82 significant strikes with a 51% defense rate.

Montano, on average lands 2.25 takedowns per 15 mins with an accuracy of 54%. She has a takedown defense of 69% and attempts 0.4 submissions on average per 15 minutes. Wu has an average takedown of 0.61 with 22% accuracy. She has a takedown defense of 66% and an average submission attempt of 0.3 per 15 mins.

This fight is nothing but a referendum on what the American has got left in her tank. She just needs to get the form that saw her out-wrestle Pena in the early going, and that’s enough to win her the day against Wu. The latter found herself in troubled waters in almost the entirety against a striking specialist in Edwards.

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But there are some loopholes here. Montano has had to tackle Covid-19, injuries, and definitely a heap of ring rust. She may falter against the raw aggression of Wu. But even after those considerations, Montano is too good a wrestler to bet on coming second. She may grind herself to a win.

Final Prediction: Montano via unanimous decision