MMA Preview – Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs Vanessa Demopoulos at UFC Fight Night 224
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KAROLINA KOWALKIEWICZ VS VANESSA DEMOPOULOS FACTS
When is UFC Fight Night 224? Saturday May 20th March, 2023 - 22:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Fight Night 224? UFC APEX, Enterprise, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 224? Click here to buy tickets for UFC Fight Night
What channel is UFC Fight Night 224 on? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 224? 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!
KAROLINA KOWALKIEWICZ VS VANESSA DEMOPOULOS LOWDOWN
Karolina Kowalkiewicz (14-7) soldiers on from her crippling five-fight skid. Jessica Andrade (2018) kicked it off with a brutal knockout and it was capped off with a Jessica Penne (2021) submission. However, her fortunes flipped in 2022 with a submission of her own over Felice Herrig and a unanimous decision over Silvana Gomez Juarez to break her UFC record even to 7-7.
Vanessa Demopoulos (9-4) is only three years younger than Kowalkiewicz but is only at the start of her UFC career. It did not start well losing her debut to JJ Aldrich, but she has rallied to string three wins together in 2022. She submitted Gomez Juarez and earnt decisions over Jinh Yu Frey and Maria Oliveira.
KAROLINA KOWALKIEWICZ VS VANESSA DEMOPOULOS PREDICTION
Demopoulos has looked solid so far in the UFC with her only loss being a short notice fight up at flyweight. Kowalkiewicz is past her prime, but she provides a very tough test for Demopoulos.
She will boast a five-inch reach advantage and will look to leverage it to the full with Muay Thai. Expect her to throw teeps and jabs to keep the distance and then fire knees down the middle when Demopoulos shoots in for the takedown.
Demopoulos is likely to walk into fire knowing Kowalkiewicz does not possess a knockout threat. She will try and tie her up, but Kowalkiewicz will be very strong in the clinch so Demopoulos will have to get the fight to the ground to start impressing the judges.
Demopoulos has slick jiu-jitsu and will not need many opportunities to find a submission however, her wrestling needs improving.
We can see her getting frustrated pursuing the takedown with Kowalkiewicz throwing a lot of volume peppering at will. However, considering her lack of power, we can see Demopoulos marching into the pocket until she gets the fight to the ground.
This is tough to call with a decision likely to fall either way. The only chance of a finish is a Demopoulos submission, but this is one to stay clear from a betting point of view.
Prediction: Demopoulos via Decision
Value bet: Song via KO/TKO
