MMA Preview – Poliana Botelho vs Karine Silva at UFC Fight Night 207
Click here for today’s sports betting tips from our expert analysts!
POLIANA BOTELHO VS KARINE SILVA FACTS
When is UFC Fight Night 207? Sunday 5th June, 2022 - 00:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Fight Night 207? UFC APEX, Enterprise, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 207? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC events
What channel is UFC Fight Night 207 on? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 207? 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!
POLIANA BOTELHO VS KARINE SILVA LOWDOWN
Poliana Botelho (8-4) needs to pull a performance out the bag to ensure her place on the roster. She has talent and got people excited after winning her first two UFC fights – outpointing Pearl Gonzalez (2017) and folding Syuri Kondo (2018) with a beautiful body kick. However, she has struggled against grapplers getting submitted by Cynthia Calvillo (2019) and losing a unanimous decision to Gillian Robertson (2020) after earning one herself against Lauren Mueller (2019). She then fought fellow striker Luana Carolina (2021) but narrowly fell on the wrong side of a split decision to go 1-3 in her last four.
She welcomes Karine Silva (14-4) to the UFC who is coming in hot with five straight finishes. She TKO’d Vitoria Ferreira and submitted Geovanna Eduarda in 2019 for Cidade da Luta and then submitted Simone da Silva and snapped Sidy Rocha’s arm in 2020 for Standout Fighting Tournament. She followed that up with another submission over Qihui Yan on the Contender Series back in October to earn the call-up.
POLIANA BOTELHO VS KARINE SILVA PREDICTION
This is not a great match-up for Botelho who does not gain much stock beating a newcomer but could get the chop with a loss.
Silva has a lot of potential as a strong grappler with decent striking and is only 28 years old. So, she matches up quite similarly with Botelho who is one of the more powerful strikers in the division.
Expect her to open up with her heavy leg kicks and strikes from range with Silva will responding in kind mixing up her attacks. We also expect takedowns to be exchanged and time spent in each other’s clinch as they will both be confident wherever the fight goes.
That said, the more grappling there is, the more you have to favour Silva, especially if the end up on tangling on the canvas. The longer this stays on the feet, the more you have to back Botelho with her speed and technique, but this is going to be a very tight scrap.
A Silva submission or a decision either way are most likely here and as Botelho is the underdog, she is the smart pick, but we are leaning towards a successful debut for Silva.
Prediction: Silva via Submission - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)
Value Bet: Botelho to win
