The women’s strawweight division has become a breeding ground for some of the most technical and exciting fights.. The evolution of women’s MMA has been nowhere more apparent than in the strawweight division, where fighters must excel in every aspect of the game to reach championship level. Loma Lookboonmee vs Alexia Thainara is one such matchup.
This UFC Fight Night: Ulberg vs Reyes opener features two fighters riding momentum from recent victories. The experienced Thai veteran is looking to prove she belongs among the division’s elite contenders. Meanwhile, the dangerous Brazilian newcomer seeks to build on her spectacular octagon debut. The matchup represents a classic clash between proven veteran experience and hungry rising talent!
Loma Lookboonmee (10-3) stands at 5’1” with a 61 inch reach. Her statistics tell the story of a fighter who has learned to be efficient with her energy; landing 3.87 significant strikes per minute with impressive 56% accuracy while absorbing just 2.47 strikes thanks to solid 52% striking defense that comes from years of high-level Muay Thai training.
Lookboonmee’s 2.03 takedown attempts per fight with 51% success rate show she’s comfortable initiating wrestling exchanges when the situation calls for it. Her 73% takedown defense prevents most opponents from easily dragging her into unfavorable positions on the ground.
Alexia Thainara stands at 5’4” with a 67 inch reach, 6 inches more than her opponent. Her stats show Thainara as an aggressive striker with high output of 5.73 strikes per minute with a moderate accuracy of 40%. Her grappling numbers are particularly impressive with perfect takedown accuracy (100%) and high submission attempt rate of 2.3 per fight. However, her 0% takedown defense is because she has not been tested with takedowns in her two fight.
FanDuel has made Alexia Thainara a heavy favorite at -245. Meanwhile, Loma Lookboonmee sits as an enticing +200 underdog. These numbers seem to heavily weight Thainara’s spectacular debut performance and dangerous finishing ability.
The odds for the fight going the distance have also come out. The odds for the fight seeing the judges scorecards stand at -210. The probability of the fight ending before the final bell is lower and the odds (+160) reflect that.
This strawweight opener should favor the more experienced and complete fighter despite the lopsided betting odds. Lookboonmee’s superior octagon experience and ability to implement effective game plans should allow her to neutralize Thainara’s primary weapons while building her own offensive advantages throughout the fight.
But Thainara is on the rise and has shown her arsenal in the Molly McCann fight. If she can use these weapons and reach in the octagon, she can dish out another victory.
If we bet on the fight, we are going with Alexia Thainara to win via unanimous decision.
(All odds taken from FanDuel. Bet on the most up-to-date MMA odds, lines, and spreads with FanDuel Sportsbook)
(Image Credit: Peter van den Berg – Imagn Images)
mma I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!
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