Preview: UFC Fight Night 246 Prelims

Women’s Flyweights

Jamey-Lyn Horth (6-1, 1-1 UFC) vs. Ivana Petrovic (7-1, 1-1 UFC)

ODDS: Horth (-205), Petrovic (+170)

British Columbia’s Horth was on the UFC’s radar long before her late-notice debut early in 2023, and despite an inactive regional schedule, she kept her momentum going with an impressive victory over Hailey Cowan. Horth’s success has mostly leaned on her size and physicality as a flyweight, so it spoke well of her physical attributes that she was able to step up a division and hang with Cowan, who herself is most notable for her strength and athleticism at bantamweight. Horth’s follow-up effort showed the other side of the coin, as she struggled to keep up with the smaller and faster Veronica Hardy in her return to flyweight. It was still three rounds of a solid performance from Horth, who looks to settle in as a solid gatekeeper who might be limited by her lack of speed. At any rate, this matchup against Petrovic looks advantageous for Horth given those dynamics.

Petrovic doesn’t have a particularly deep well of technique to fall back on, but she has gotten by—on the regional scene and in her lone UFC win over Na Liang—with her size and durability, as she has mostly relied on opponents wearing themselves out while she absorbs their offense. It’s unsurprising that Liang, historically a one-round fighter, burned herself out trying to finish Petrovic. However, Luana Carolina’s decision win over Petrovic in 2023 suggests there’s a fairly low bar to clear in terms of being able to control the Norwegian over three rounds. Horth should be able to string together a solid 15 minutes once again, and that should be enough to take a clear victory. The pick is Horth via decision.

Jump To »
Zahabi vs. Munhoz
Jasudavicius vs. Lipski
Jourdain vs. Henry
Zalal vs. Shore
Nascimento vs. Romanov
Sidey vs. Armfield
Gibson vs. Anheliger
Horth vs. Petrovic