The UFC’s 239 card last weekend was arguably the best we will see all year, so it’s a bit of a letdown this week for UFC Fight Night in Sacramento, headlined by a women’s bantamweight fight between Germaine de Randamie and Aspen Ladd. Here’s a look at that bout and the co-main event with Mybookie Sportsbook Odds.
UFC Fight Night 155 Odds, Analysis & Predictions
- When: Saturday, 8 PM ET
- Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
- TV: ESPN
- Live Stream: ESPN+
Germaine de Randamie (8-3) vs. Aspen Ladd (8-0)
The winner of this bout could get a title shot at bantamweight women’s champion Amanda Nunes – who just defended that belt by crushing Holly Holm on Saturday – later this year. De Randamie is ranked No. 1 in the division and Ladd fourth. Ladd is favored, though, at -165 with de Randamie at +135.
De Randamie was the UFC’s first women’s featherweight champion but later was stripped of that title after refusing to defend it against Cris Cyborg due to Cyborg’s past failed drug tests. De Randamie, 35, has won four straight, including a unanimous decision victory over Raquel Pennington at UFC Denver in November. De Randamie put on a clinic, as she thoroughly outclassed her opponent with her striking and cruised to a 30-27 across-the-board unanimous decision. The bout, which was scheduled for bantamweight, was contested at a 138-pound catchweight after Pennington missed weight. Earlier this year, de Randamie signed a new six-fight deal with the UFC. She has lost just once since 2011, to Nunes.
De Randamie is a standup striker who has a deep background in kickboxing and boxing, and she’s more than willing to trade in the octagon, as we saw in a victory over Holm. De Randamie has good footwork and is a rangy fighter who can get in and out nicely.
The 24-year-old Ladd went 5-0 competing for Invicta before winning her first three UFC bouts, most recently taking a unanimous nod over Sijara Eubanks at UFC Rochester in May. That marked just the second time in eight pro bouts Ladd went the distance. The California native won $50,000 Fight Night bonuses in two of those three contests. Ladd also holds stoppage victories over former Invicta FC champion Tonya Evinger and Lina Lansberg.
Ladd comes from a kickboxing and boxing background, and she has some wrestling experience. Ladd is at her best on the canvas, as she goes for the takedown often and is relentless on the canvas with ground and pound. Once Ladd gains top position and locks in a full mount, she unloads punches and elbows and it’s where her knockouts have taken place.
Urijah Faber (34-10) vs. Ricky Simon (15-1)
Faber, a UFC Hall of Famer, ends his retirement in this bantamweight bout. Simon is a -320 favorite with Faber at +260. The 40-year-old Faber is a Sacramento native, so that’s partly why he’s coming out of retirement. Faber has not fought since UFC on Fox 22 in December 2016, a unanimous decision win over Brad Pickett in Sacramento. It was a relentless pace from Faber as he continued to press forward on Pickett at every turn while landing a couple more takedowns in the final round. With a bloody face courtesy of Faber’s punches, Pickett just had no answer although he hung tough until the final bell. When it was over, the judges all scored the contest 30-26 in favor of Faber.
Faber announced that would be his retirement bout, but never wrote a letter to the UFC or removed himself from the USADA drug-testing pool to formally retire. In July 2017, Faber was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame as a part of the Modern-era wing.
Prior to that Pickett fight, Faber had suffered consecutive losses for the first time in his career, including a UFC 199 title fight with Dominick Cruz that saw him fall to 0-4 in bouts for UFC gold. Since retiring, Faber has remained close to the sport as a coach at his gym Team Alpha MMA. He’s also competed in grappling, recently losing a grappling match vs. 17-year-old Nicky Ryan at Pola.
Faber is one of the fighters responsible for making the lighter weight divisions popular since the WEC days. “The California Kid”, a former WEC champion and multiple-time title contender in the UFC, holds wins over the likes of Dominick Cruz, Jens Pulver, Bibiano Fernandes, Raphael Assuncao, and Michael McDonald.
Simon, 13 years younger than Faber, is a former LFA bantamweight champion who has gone perfect in three UFC appearances, capped off by a one-sided decision win over Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert Rani Yahya in February. Simon utilized a near-perfect strategy against one of the most dangerous grapplers in the division and came out with the victory to extend his winning streak to eight fights and complete his transition from a prospect-to-watch to a potential future contender in the weight class.
Ahead in the fight, Simon knew he merely had to avoid making a crucial mistake late against Yahya, who was slowing down and showing damage in the final minutes. The clock ran out, and Simon was awarded the victory by scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 30-25.
Expert UFC Fight Night 155 Betting Picks
De Randamie and Simon both by decision.Rest of the Card
- Josh Emmett vs. Mirsad Bektić
- Karl Roberson vs. Wellington Turman
- Marvin Vettori vs. Cezar Ferreira
Preliminary Card
- Mike Rodriguez vs. John Allan
- Andre Fili vs. Sheymon Moraes
- Julianna Peña vs. Nicco Montaño
- Darren Elkins vs. Ryan Hall
- Livia Renata Souza vs. Brianna Van Buren
- Pingyuan Liu vs. Jonathan Martinez
- Benito Lopez vs. Vince Morales
