Wang Cong and Gabriella Fernandes meet Saturday on the UFC Fight Night 248 main card at Galaxy Arena in Macau. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
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Wang Cong vs. Gabriella Fernandes UFC Fight Night 248 preview
Chinese kickboxer Cong (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is undefeated in her young MMA career. In August, she made her UFC debut in impressive fashion by knocking out Victoria Leonardo in 62 seconds. … Fernandes (9-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) struggled in her first two UFC bouts, but got back on track in her first fight of the year. In June, she defeated Carli Judice by split decision.
Wang Cong vs. Gabriella Fernandes UFC Fight Night 248 expert pick, prediction
Filling out the main card in Macau is a flyweight affair between Cong and Fernandes.
Despite both fighters listing themselves as southpaws, Wang likes to operate out of an orthodox stance. And though Wang doesn’t own any wins over notable southpaws in MMA, the Chinese fighter does own a win over the current flyweight champ, Valentina Shevchenko, in kickboxing.
In that fight, which was a kickboxing bout that didn’t allow for clinching or elbows, Cong was able to clearly frustrate Shevchenko by taking her out of her comfort zone through pressure and volume.
Regardless of her opponent’s stance, Wang has a penchant for attacking the lead leg with multiple range-finding attacks (either muay Thai or Sanda stylings) and following up with well-placed punches.
Fernandes, on the other hand, is a strong southpaw striker with a boxing and taekwondo background. Fernandes mainly attacks off her left side and is not afraid to make things dirty by engaging in the clinch.
I suspect that Fernandes will be trying to do the latter after feeling the speed difference from Wang, but I’m not sure it’ll be enough to contain the fighter from China.
A finish wouldn’t shock me, but I’ll officially pick Wang to showcase more of her skills in a fairly one-sided decision win.
Wang Cong vs. Gabriella Fernandes UFC Fight Night 248 odds
The oddsmakers and the public are heavily favoring the Chinese fighter, listing Wang -900 and Fernandes +520 via FanDuel.
Wang Cong vs. Gabriella Fernandes UFC Fight Night 248 start time, how to watch
As the co-main event, Cong and Fernandes are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 7:10 a.m. ET. The fight will stream on ESPN+.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 248.