It is a matchup of strawweights in the first fight on the FS1 portion of the preliminary card on Saturday at UFC 218, as Felice Herrig takes on Cortney Casey. Herrig is 13-6 overall, including 4-1 in the UFC, while Casey is 7-4 overall, including 3-3 in the UFC. This fight will lead up to a five-fight main pay-per-view card, which features Max Holloway taking on Jose Aldo. Let’s take a look at Herrig vs. Casey.
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Felice Herrig (13-6, 4-1 UFC)
Herrig is ranked 9th in the UFC strawweight rankings and she has won four of her five UFC bouts. Herrig is on a three-fight winning streak, as she has beaten Kailin Curran, Alexa Grasso and Justine Kish. Herrig has not shown much power in her career, as most of her fights go to a decision. She has just one win by knockout and only four wins by submission.
Herrig said to the Chicago Tribune that she is worried about her future in the UFC. “I see that I’m fighting these young up-and-comers now and I'm expected to lose, like, I'm the underdog every time. None of the media or PR attention goes to me anymore now that I don't focus on looks at all anymore.” Herrig is not getting top billing on Saturday either, as the fight between Tecia Torres and Michelle Waterson is on the main card, while the fight between Herrig and Casey is on the preliminary card.
Part of the problem for Herrig is that she doesn’t have a style that attracts a lot of eyes, as she has to outwork her opponents and that usually results in her fights going to a decision.
Cortney Casey (7-4, 3-3 UFC)
Casey is ranked 11th in the UFC strawweight rankings. Casey was last seen in May, as she defeated Jessica Aguilar. She has shown a little bit more power than Herrig with three knockout wins and three wins by submission.
Casey lost her first two UFC fights, but she has bounced back to win three of her last four. The only loss in those four was against Claudia Gadelha in November of last year.
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Casey struggled against Gadelha but there is no shame in losing to her, as most fighters are losing against Gadelha. Herrig has been able to wear down her opponents lately, but it won’t be easy to wear down Casey in this bout, as Casey will have the height and reach advantage. I think Casey has more overall power than Herrig and more ways to win. I lean toward Casey in this fight and we get her at plus money. I also think there is a lot of value in taking the rounds to go over the total. Neither fighter has shown a great ability to finish in their careers, so I expect this fight to go the distance.
UFC 218: Holloway vs. Aldo 2 takes place on Saturday, December 2 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. There are five fights on the main card featuring Max Holloway vs. Jose Aldo and eight preliminary bouts, with four on FS1 and four on UFC Fight Pass.
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Max Holloway -295 vs. Jose Aldo (rounds 2.5 over -160)
Francis Ngannou -240 vs. Alistair Overeem (rounds 1.5 under -130)
Henry Cejudo -300 vs. Sergio Pettis (rounds 2.5 over -280)
Justin Gaethje -193 vs. Eddie Alvarez (rounds 1.5 over -160)
Tecia Torres -225 vs. Michelle Waterson (rounds 2.5 over -330)
Preliminary Card (FS1)
Paul Felder -130 vs. Charles Oliveira (rounds 1.5 over -130)
Alex Oliveira -219 vs. Yancy Medeiros (rounds 1.5 over -170)
David Teymur -180 vs. Drakkar Klose (rounds 2.5 over -190)
Felice Herrig -145 vs. Cortney Casey (rounds 2.5 over -225)
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Abdul Razak Alhassan -245 vs. Sabah Homasi (rounds 1.5 under -120)
Dominick Reyes -425 vs. Jeremy Kimball (rounds 1.5 over -120)
Justin Willis -215 vs. Allen Crowder (rounds 1.5 over -140)
Amanda Cooper -440 vs. Angela Magana (rounds 2.5 over -165)
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