Women’s featherweight contender Felicia Spencer (7-1, 1 KO, 4 SUB) will meet Zarah Fairn Dos Santos (6-3, 4 KOs) at UFC on ESPN+ 27 on Saturday, February 29 at the Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. The card airs live on ESPN+ starting at 8pm ET.
The women’s featherweight division is alive. But nobody would say it’s doing well. There’s a champion in Amanda Nunes, but after that there are maybe three or four actual women that fight at 145 pounds. Cris Cyborg - the entire reason why the weight class was created - is off in Bellator after some serious beef with the UFC brass.
We honestly can’t think of any other reason that the UFC keeps the weight class around other than being able to say that Nunes is a double champ. But this Saturday, we’re getting a rare women’s rare featherweight matchup in Felicia Spencer and Zarah Fairn dos Santos. You might’ve caught the part where we described Spencer as a “contender”, but literally anybody who can make the 145-pound limit and steps into the octagon falls under this category.
Spencer was actually considered a somewhat legitimate threat to Cyborg - she was 7-0 before getting pummeled by the Brazilian in a July 2019 contest. That includes a win over Megan Anderson, who was also seen as a possible Cyborg killer. Prior to joining the UFC, Spencer’s entire MMA career unfolded in Invicta FC, where she hoisted the title.
Dos Santos made her UFC debut in October 2019, where she lost in the first round to Megan Anderson via triangle choke. The defeat snapped a three-fight win streak in regional promotions, including two first-round TKO finishes.
Let’s take a look at the UFC odds at BookMaker.eu and break down your best betting options. Live UFC betting is available at the online sportsbook, featuring real-time updates to several major betting lines.
Felicia Spencer -800
Zarah Fairn dos Santos +502
Fight goes/doesn’t go to decision: +177 / -250
Significant Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Spencer 3.26 / Dos Santos 0.51
Striking accuracy: Spencer 51% / Dos Santos 40%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Spencer 6.79 / Dos Santos 2.53
Striking defense: Spencer 43% / Dos Santos 44%
Takedown Average
Takedowns per 15 minutes: Spencer 0.82 / Dos Santos 0
Takedown accuracy: Spencer 10% / Dos Santos 0
Takedown defense: Spencer 0% / Dos Santos 50%
Submissions per 15 minutes: 0.8 / Dos Santos 0
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The Fightmetric stats only keep track of UFC fights, so obviously the numbers here are a bit skewed.
In Spencer’s case, the prolonged beating she took from Cyborg inflated her statistic of strikes absorbed and also accounts for a startlingly low number of strikes landed per minute. At her best, Spencer is a strong, aggressive grappler and a functional striker. If you shrunk her 20 pounds and brought her into the flyweight division, she’d probably still be in the second tier of fighters based on her physical tools and skillset.
Dos Santos does not figure to make much noise inside the UFC, but she is a competent kickboxer with some stopping power. Her grappling is a major weakness, made even all the more glaring by the fact she was submitted by Megan Anderson (a striker) in her last outing. That’s not a good look against a grinder like Spencer.
UFC Odds Pick: Spencer to win by submission
This is basically a bounce-back matchup for Spencer to get a win - reflected by the odds in the online sportsbook. While Dos Santos might have some success on the feet, she doesn’t have the athleticism or technique to keep from getting taken down in the matchup. The question here is whether you bet Spencer to win, or take the victory prop. Given Spencer’s talent for finding taps, and Dos Santos’ inexperience defending them, we’ll take a small risk on the better payout.
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