Preview: UFC 318 Prelims

Women’s Flyweights

Carli Judice (4-2, 1-1 UFC) vs. Nicolle Caliari (8-3, 0-0 UFC)

BETTING ODDS: Judice (-278), Caliari (+225)

Judice certainly got to the UFC too early, but she’s an interesting prospect worth keeping around. Judice was plucked from the lower levels of the Louisiana regional scene as a surprise late-notice replacement on the Contender Series in 2023, less than one year into her professional career. She acquitted herself well, losing a fun scrap to the much more athletically gifted Ernest Kareckaite, but it was still a surprise when the UFC opted to sign both women. To her credit, Judice is making the type of rapid improvements that you would hope to see from someone so early in their professional career. She hung surprisingly tough in a step up in competition against Gabriella Fernandes, then looked much sharper in her return bout in March, knocking out Yuneisy Duben for her first UFC win. Judice looks for two straight victories while playing hometown favorite here against Caliari.



Brazil’s Caliari followed an odd path prior to the UFC. She debuted in the mid-2010s, split wins over low-level opponents and losses to future UFC vets, then essentially vanished for four years before reviving her career in 2023. Since her comeback, Caliari has found her most success as a wrestler and grappler, but things haven’t gone as cleanly as one might expect given her level of aggression and apparent athleticism. Things were going a bit sideways before she won her Contender Series bout via armbar, and her UFC debut against Kareckaite saw her bat a low percentage in terms of takedown success and do little with what she was able to hit. Judice’s defensive wrestling is mostly untested, so Caliari could just grind out a win, but the American’s level of improvement and willingness to scrap seems worth the bet here. The pick is Judice via decision.

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