Anna Melisano

AJ picks Dione Barbosa to outgrapple Anna Melisano, citing Barbosa's grappling specialist background and physical strength. He notes Melisano is a strawweight moving up, with good striking but poor takedown defense, and expects Barbosa to dominate on the mat and likely win by submission.

AJ picks Dione Barbosa due to her superior grappling and physicality at flyweight. He notes that Anna Melisano is moving up from strawweight and was outgrappled on TUF. He expects Barbosa to control position and potentially win by submission or dominant decision, though he acknowledges Melisano's striking ability and a possible upset if she survives early grappling.

AJ is confident Barbosa wins by submission, citing her high-caliber grappling and Melisano's poor ground game shown on The Ultimate Fighter. He notes Barbosa is a massive favorite (-550) and believes she will dominate with takedowns and positional control. He also likes the under 1.5 rounds prop at +130 but is more confident in the submission.

AJ picks Barbosa, calling it a 'nightmare debut' for Melisano. He highlights Barbosa's physicality, grappling, and experience, while questioning Melisano's grappling after her TUF loss. AJ expects Barbosa to win by submission.

Angelo picks Dione Barbosa, citing her high-level judo, aggressive grappling, and finishing ability. He notes that Anna Melisano is stepping up on short notice and has huge holes in grappling, expecting Barbosa to submit her early.

Angelo is very confident in Dione Barbosa, citing her superior grappling and the fact that Anna Melisano is stepping up on short notice. He believes all roads lead to Barbosa getting takedowns and that the minus 350 odds are great value.

Big Brady picks Dione Barbosa confidently, noting the line opened at -280 and has moved to -600, which he still considers value. He criticizes Melisano's poor performance on The Ultimate Fighter, calling her 'a punching bag' with non-existent ground game. He expects Barbosa to win by submission, likely in the first round, and likes the under 2.5 rounds.

Big Brady picks Dione Barbosa to win by first-round submission. He notes Barbosa has UFC experience, a legit BJJ black belt, and physical strength, while Melisano looked awful on The Ultimate Fighter with poor striking and ground game. He expects Barbosa to take Melisano down and finish quickly.

Cody picks Barbosa, citing her BJJ black belt, physical strength, and takedown ability. He notes Melisano's poor grappling from The Ultimate Fighter, where she gave up her back and got choked out. He thinks Barbosa will take her down and submit her, but the minus 650 price is hard to bet.

Daniel Levi picks Dione Barbosa to finish Anna Melisano, citing Barbosa's experience and well-roundedness. He believes Melisano does not belong at the UFC level based on her TUF performance, while Barbosa is on the cusp of the top 15. He cautions about Barbosa's past bonehead mistakes but expects a dominant win.

Barbosa is a heavy favorite at -612, but Melisano is a short-notice debutant with unknown takedown defense and ground game. If Melisano can keep the fight standing, she could be competitive, but her striking defense is poor. Without knowing her ground skills, it's impossible to predict the fight with confidence.

Lucrative James picks Dione Barbosa to win by submission, citing Barbosa's superior ground game and Melisano's short notice and poor grappling defense. He notes that Melisano is hittable on the feet and gave up her back easily in her TUF fight. He expects Barbosa to take her down and submit her.

Barbosa has a significant grappling advantage as a BJJ black belt and should be able to drag the fight to the ground and control Melisano. Melisano is a striker who struggles with takedown defense and may fade late, but Barbosa has shown gas tank issues and Melisano could be competitive if she keeps it standing. Ultimately, Barbosa grinds out a decision win.

The host believes the odds are a bit too wide but still expects Barbosa's grappling to be too much for the UFC newcomer. He predicts Barbosa will grind out a decision victory.

Paul picks Barbosa, noting her strong grappling and physicality. He thinks Melisano's striking is decent but her ground game is a liability, and Barbosa will exploit that. He is wary of the price but believes Barbosa wins.