Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Strawweight talents JJ Aldrich and Polyana Viana will battle this Saturday (Aug. 4, 2018) at UFC 227 inside Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
Sometimes UFC baffles me.
UFC 227’s title fights thankfully managed to hold together (for now), but the rest of the pay-per-view (PPV) card was ravaged by injuries. With several main card fights removed or given different match ups, UFC was forced to pull up at least one undercard fight to fill up the rest of the card. Given the fact that the undercard is rather mediocre, it was left with few choices, which is how Aldrich vs. Viana is set to grace UFC 227’s PPV main card. A bout like Ricardo Ramos vs. Kyung Ho Kang — which features a pair of young, violent finishers — seems like a way better choice. Hell, even Bethe Correia is sort of a name and is facing a fighter with a Wikipedia page.
At any rate, much love to the few dedicated fans who are reading about this scrap. Aldrich is a veteran of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) and riding a two-fight win streak; she’s generally worth-watching. Viana made a successful UFC debut back in February, and the Brazilian seems a solid prospect even if her level of competition is terrible.
Let’s take a closer look at the keys to victory for each woman:
JJ Aldrich
Record: 6-2
Key Wins: Danielle Taylor (UFC Fight Night 124), Chan Mi-Jeon (UFC Fight Night 110)
Key Losses: Julianna Lima (UFC Fight Night 102), Jamie Moyle (Invicta FC 11)
Keys to Victory: Aldrich is a high-volume kickboxer with a couple stoppage victories on her record. To be frank, a lot of Strawweights try to be high-volume kickboxers, but few do so with Aldrich’s understanding of range and movement.
In the Octagon, Aldrich has won a pair of bouts where opponents willing struck with her, and lost to the women who tried to take her down (including her TUF defeat to Tatiana Suarez). Viana is definitely a grappler, so this will be a serious test of Aldrich’s improvement and ability to defend the shot.
It all comes back to range. Aldrich knows how to keep her feet moving and take advantageous angles, so the test here is really whether she can circle around and leave Viana shooting at air. If Aldrich remains unpredictable with her movement — and maybe jams a few front kicks into the gut for good measure — it will greatly benefit her defensive wrestling and allow her the fight she desires.
Polyana Viana
Record: 10-1
Key Wins: Maia Kahaunaele-Stevenson (UFC Fight Night 125), Amanda Ribas (Jungle Fights 83)
Key Losses: Aline Sattlemayer (Real Fight 12)
Keys to Victory: Viana’s competition level has generally been very low, but she’s been dominating lesser fighters like a talented prospect should. Each of her last six victories ended in the first round, and the Brazilian hasn’t tasted defeat since 2014.
Viana is not uncomfortable on her feet, but it’s immediately obvious when watching her fight that she prefers to work on the ground. Viana is a very much a jiu-jitsu fighter, using clinch work or shots along the fence to drag her foe down and smother her to a quick choke or arm bar.
Viana is a fast-starter, and Aldrich throws nearly a 100 strikes per fight. Viana has only been to a decision once, and she lost that bout. Add that all together, and it seems almost certain that Viana needs an early finish, otherwise the jiu-jitsu fighter with a questionable gas tank stereotype may come into play.
Luckily, Aldrich’s takedown defense isn’t great. If Viana forces the issue immediately, she has a fair chance at adding another quick finish to her record.
Bottom Line: It might end up being a decent fight, but it doesn’t truly matter.
Aldrich has won her last two bouts, so picking up a third straight victory is great for her career. It would potentially result in a top 15 foe next, which would be a well-deserved opportunity for the 25-year-old athlete. If she comes up short, Aldrich still has plenty of time to improve on that defensive grappling, although she doesn’t want the reputation as a fighter who cannot stop a shot.
In Viana’s case, she’s still relatively unproven. Her regional competition was terrible, and her UFC debut fight was a step up, but Maia Kahaunaele-Stevenson is hardly a known athlete. Adrich is much more established, and as such it’s a chance for Viana to really prove where she stands.
At UFC 227, JJ Aldrich and Polyana Viana will square off. Which athlete will earn the victory?