Guy Giles makes his pick as Rose Namajunas defends her strawweight title against Carla Esparza at UFC 274 in Phoenix.
Here are Guy Giles’ best UFC picks for Rose Namajunas vs Carla Esparza at UFC 274 in Phoenix. Visit the Betway Insider for picks on all the biggest fights.
Namajunas v Ezparza odds
Two-time UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas defends her belt in a rematch against inaugural champ Carla Esparza at UFC 274 in Phoenix.
These two first met in the finale of The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned back in December 2014, with Esparza securing a submission win to become the first 115lb champion in UFC history.
Their careers have gone on very different trajectories since then.
Esparza immediately lost the belt to Joanna Jedrzejczyk and fell out of title contention with three losses in five fights before a recent five-fight win streak has given her the chance to emulate Namajunas as a two-time champ.
Namajunas, meanwhile, rose up the rankings before winning the belt with a shock KO of Jedrzejczyk, going on to lose it to Jessica Andrade and then win it back with another surprise win over Zhang Weili.
A successful defence against Zhang in her most recent fight has cemented her place at the top of the 115lb division, and she heads to Arizona as the odds-on {ODDS:902418119:4/9} favourite.
Esparza has defied all odds to earn another shot at the belt, and will have to prove the bookmakers wrong as the {ODDS:902418120:7/4} underdog.
Namajunas v Esparza prediction
It’s pretty clear where this will be won and lost for both fighters.
Namajunas is one of the most technical strikers in the UFC, using her length to keep her distance while landing head and leg kicks effortlessly from the outside.
Her fluid foot movement allows ‘Thug Rose’ to evade incoming strikes and reply from a variety of angles with a number of different shots.
When she gets to the inside, she can be devastating with her Muay Thai style, dealing damage with knees, elbows and uppercuts.
Esparza, meanwhile, relies on her elite wrestling to win fights. She shoots for takedowns with regularity, and if successful, can inflict serious damage with her ground-and-pound.
Her striking has improved greatly since she lost the belt, but her stand up game remains relatively basic, particularly when compared to Namajunas.
Quite simply, Esparza must get this fight to the ground to stand any chance of winning, and even if she does so, Namajunas is a threat from her back, with five career wins via submission.
Her only path to victory is getting Namajunas down and keeping her there, while the champion can win this fight in several ways.
Namajunas has two decision wins in her last three fights, while Esparza has gone the distance in four of her last five, so backing the champ to come out on top in a five-rounder is the way to go.
Namajunas to win by decision {ODDS:902418171:13/8}
