Carli Judice vs Nicolle Caliari at UFC 318 | Preview & Prediction
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The women’s flyweight division kicks off UFC 318 as Carli Judice meets Nicolle Caliari in a classic battle of striker vs grappler on the early prelims
Carli Judice vs Nicolle Caliari facts
What time are Carli Judice and Nicolle Caliari expected to walk out?
Where is UFC 318? Smoothie king Center, New Orleans, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC 318? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC 318
What TV channel is UFC 318 on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN
Where can I stream UFC 318? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC 318 main card
Max Holloway vs Dustin Poirier (Lightweight)
Paulo Costa vs Roman Kopylov (Middleweight)
Kevin Holland vs Daniel Rodriguez (Welterweight)
Dan Ige vs Patrício Pitbull (Featherweight)
Michael Johnson vs Daniel Zellhuber (Lightweight)
UFC 318 prelims
Kyler Phillips vs Vinicius Oliveira (Bantamweight)
Marvin Vettori vs Brendan Allen (Middleweight)
Francisco Prado vs Nikolay Veretennikov (Welterweight)
Ateba Abega Gautier vs Robert Valentin (Middleweight)
Adam Fugitt vs Islam Dulatov (Welterweight)
Jimmy Crute vs Marcin Prachnio (Light Heavyweight)
Ryan Spann vs Lukasz Brzeski (Heavyweight)
Brunno Ferreira vs Jackson McVey (Middleweight)
Carli Judice vs Nicolle Caliari (Women’s Flyweight)
Carli Judice: Calculated kickboxer looking to pick up where she left off
Carli Judice (4-2) returns to action riding the momentum of a thunderous first-round head-kick knockout over Yuneisy Duben – a dangerous finisher in her own right – back in March of this year. The 26-year-old American is a sharp, dynamic kickboxer who thrives when she can dictate the range, with all her victories coming via KO/TKO. Her striking is crisp and calculated, but she has shown vulnerability against longer, rangier opponents. Fortunately for Judice, she’ll hold both a 4-inch height and 6-inch reach advantage in this match-up, and that could be a key factor in keeping the fight in her wheelhouse.
Nicolle Caliari: Submission threat looking to test her opponent’s ground game
Nicolle Caliari (8-3) is a scrappy, aggressive brawler who brings an entirely different dynamic to this contest. While her striking is less refined than Judice’s, she thrives in chaos and looks to drag her opponents into grappling exchanges. All eight of her wins have come via stoppage – five by KO and her last three by submission. However, the 28-year-old’s game plan can unravel if she struggles to get the fight to the mat, revealing a degree of one-dimensionality that Judice may be able to exploit.
Carli Judice vs Nicolle Caliari prediction
This match-up boils down to whether Caliari can close the distance and impose her grappling on Judice, or if Judice can keep the fight standing and pick her apart from range. Both women have gone the distance with Ernesta Kareckaite in the past, losing via split decision, but Judice arguably delivered the more damaging and composed performance.
Judice not only holds the edge in striking and composure but also boasts significantly better physical tools – with notable advantages in both height and reach. Given Caliari’s tendency to falter when takedowns don’t come easy, and Judice’s proven ability to punish opponents at range, this feels like a stylistic nightmare for the Brazilian. Expect Caliari to struggle to take the fight to the mat in the first round and Judice to steadily break the Brazilian down with surgical precision before finding a late stoppage.
Prediction: Carli Judice to win via KO/TKO
