MMA Preview – Irene Aldana vs Yana Kunitskaya at UFC 264
IRENE ALDANA VS YANA KUNITSKAYA FACTS
When is UFC 264? Sunday 11th July, 2021 - 01:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC 264? T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC 264? Click here to buy tickets for UFC 264
What channel is UFC 264 on? BT Sport Box Office (£19.99) BT Sport 2 (prelims)
Where can I stream UFC 264? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
IRENE ALDANA VS YANA KUNITSKAYA LOWDOWN
Irene Aldana (12-6) received a harsh reality check in her last fight. After a unanimous decision win over Vanessa Melo and dishing out Ketlen Vieira’s first loss and knockout with a delicious left hook, she was on the cusp of a title shot if she got past Holly Holm. Many backed Aldana but the perennial top contender oozed her class once again, dominating every exchange and even landed five takedowns to walk away with a classic unanimous decision.
Yana Kunitskaya (14-5(1)) has gradually climbed the ranks and is now 4-2 in the UFC after her debut back in 2018. It was a debut that is hard to forget as she was summoned from Invicta as their bantamweight champion and fed to Cris Cyborg at featherweight. She showed a lot of courage to take the fight but was predictably erased in the first round suffering her first knockout. She returned down to her division and picked up unanimous decisions over Lina Lansberg and Marion Reneau before getting knocked out again by Aspen Ladd but is back on the unanimous decision train picking up wins over Julija Stoliarenko and impressively over Vieira.
IRENE ALDANA VS YANA KUNITSKAYA PREDICTION
This is very interesting matchmaking as they both have the tools to expose each other’s weaknesses. Aldana has good takedown defence, but she can be controlled on the ground and Kunitskaya has made a habit of grinding out decisions by tying her opponents up.
Her only losses in the UFC have been knockouts where Cyborg and Ladd simply overwhelmed her with their power. She was actually winning her fight until Ladd decided to go into beast mode and Aldana has some of the most dangerous hands in the division.
Expect Kunitskaya to get a feel on the feet in the first round but as soon as she experiences Aldana’s power, she will shoot in or clinch up. It is the best tactic to nullify her weapons, but she will have to wrestle for three straight rounds.
We expect her to get the odd takedown and control time in the clinch, but Aldana will be able to sprawl and muscle her way out to create room on the feet where she will show her superiority. We expect this to go to the bell with Aldana displaying enough of her striking prowess inflicting more damage to earn the decision.
Prediction: Aldana via Decision
