Preview: UFC 265 ‘Lewis vs. Gane’

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 265 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

Women’s Strawweights

#10 WSW | Tecia Torres (12-5, 8-5 UFC) vs. #12 WSW | Angela Hill (13-9, 8-9 UFC)

ODDS: Torres (-135), Hill (+115)

Their first fight back in 2015 was emblematic of Hill’s first run in the UFC, which was a waste of a talented prospect. Despite having just one pro fight prior to her time on “The Ultimate Fighter,” Hill was subsequently thrown to the wolves against some of the best talents in the strawweight division, which included getting outwrestled by Torres. After getting cut by the UFC, it took Hill less than a year to earn her way back after a breakout 2016 campaign saw her win four fights and become the Invicta Fighting Championships strawweight titleholder. From there, it has been a slow climb up the ranks. Hill seemed helped greatly by a pivot towards taking as many fights as possible, she has coalesced into a well-rounded fighter without any of her old cardio issues. With that said, her well-roundedness has left her unable to put a stamp on fights against the highest level of competition, leaving her just short of the breakthrough win that could get her into title contention. Prominent fights against Claudia Gadelha and Michelle Waterson were cases where the public felt Hill won, only for her to come out on the losing end of a split decision.

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 265 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

As for Torres, her win over Hill was the start of her own slow march through the division that fell just short of title contention. Torres’ style has always been a bit of an odd proposition. Despite leaning very much towards the squat and muscular side, Torres is at her best living up to her “Tiny Tornado” nickname as a high-volume and low-powered striker. That got her wins in six of her first seven UFC bouts, but after a four-fight losing streak, the worry was that her style had hit the clear point of diminishing returns. In retrospect, it seems like a lot of that may have just been the level of competition. Of those four losses, three came to former or future UFC champions, while the fourth came against top prospect and rising contender Marina Rodriguez. Torres spent 2020 reminding everyone what made her such a promising talent in the first place, racking up one-sided wins over raw prospects Brianna Van Buren and Sam Hughes, with the latter resulting in a particularly impressive performance. Still, Hill’s improvements have been vast enough since the first fight that she should be able to take this. She is nowhere near as flat-footed as she once was and should be able to better defend takedowns. She should also be helped by the reach advantage that most opponents have against Torres. Add in that Hill has a strong clinch game, and it feels like she has progressed enough that she should not be controlled. As always, there is the concern that Hill does not separate herself enough to stay completely out of danger on the scorecards. The pick is Hill via decision.

Continue Reading » Kenney vs. Song