Karolina Kowalkiewicz is fighting at home for the first time in her UFC career. The No. 3 strawweight and former title challenger will welcome 6-time Invicta vet Jodie Esquibel in the co-main event of this Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 118 in Gdansk, Poland. This is a matchup that Kowalkiewicz really needs to win - she’s lost two straight fights after starting her career 10-0.
Let’s take a look at the UFC odds at BookMaker.eu and break down the matchup along with your betting options.
UFC odds at BookMaker.eu
Karolina Kowalkiewicz -465
Jodie Esquibel +345
Over/under 2.5 rounds, over -260, under +220
Fight Preview
This is a bounceback fight for Kowalkiewicz, who was most recently finished for the first time in her career. While getting subbed by Claudia Gadelha is nothing to be ashamed of, KK was certainly expected to go further than one round against the then-No. 1 contender.
The Pole comes from a Muay Thai background, making up for a lack of hand speed and power with cardio, durability and grit. You’ll never see Kowalkiewicz outright dominate anybody, yet she has never been truly rocked either. Joanna Jedrzejczyk beat her to the punch and lit her up for five rounds, but KK never wavered and even scored a knockdown in the fourth.
Against Rose Namajunas, Kowalkiewicz was losing the exchanges at range, but soon discovered that “Thug” had no answer for her knees in the clinch. It was an excellent example of a fighter changing tactics midway through a fight. Clearly, the 31-year old is a high-IQ fighter and extraordinarily tough.
Esquibel enters the UFC with a 3-1 record in her past four, with the loss coming against current blue chip prospect Alexa Grasso. She also competed on TUF 23, though the Jackson-Wink fighter lost in her matchup against Ashley Yoder. LIke Kowalkiewicz, Esquibel is a fighter that doesn’t possess overwhelming skills or physicality, instead relying on scrappiness to bet opponents.
In this matchup, Kowalkiewicz will have a key striking advantage as a former pro kickboxer. That just happens to be where Esquibel is most comfortable as well, so expect a standup battle to ensue.
UFC Betting Tips
While Esquibel might make this a lot closer than the odds would suggest, this is Kowalkiewicz’ fight to lose. The Pole will have the crowd behind her and has far more experience against a higher level of competition. Either lay the price on KK to win or the rounds over, as neither fighter is a finisher.
UFC Odds Pick: Kowalkiewicz to win at -465
Bet on UFC odds at BookMaker.eu
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker sportsbook! Real-time spreads, totals, props and money line are all available so start betting with BookMaker today.
UFC Fight Night 118 takes place on Saturday, October 21, 2017 at the Ergo Arena in Gdansk, Poland. The entire card airs live on UFC Fight Pass starting 3 p.m. ET.
