MMA Preview – Victoria Leonardo vs Melissa Gatto at UFC 265
VICTORIA LEONARDO VS MELISSA GATTO FACTS
When is UFC 265? Sunday 8th August, 2021 - 01:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC 265? Toyota Center, Houston, Texas (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC 265? Click here to buy tickets for UFC 265
What channel is UFC 265 on? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC 265? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
VICTORIA LEONARDO VS MELISSA GATTO LOWDOWN
Victoria Leonardo’s (8-3) UFC debut did not go to plan. She arrived off the back of two good wins last year - a unanimous decision over Liz Tracy for Invicta and a TKO over Chelsea Hackett on the Contender Series. She was then paired up with fellow debutant Natalia Silva but after she broke her arm, Manon Fiorot was shipped in. Fiorot proceeded to ruin Leonardo’s debut with a striking lesson finishing her with a second-round TKO.
Melissa Gatto (6-0-2) finally makes her debut. She was supposed to fight Talita Bernardo for her introduction back in 2019 but that along with bouts against Julia Avila and Mariya Agapova were all cancelled. So, her last fight was all the way back in 2018 when she submitted Karol Rosa which could be a sign of her potential as Rosa has gone on a five-fight win streak since including three UFC fights.
VICTORIA LEONARDO VS MELISSA GATTO PREDICTION
Gatto is unbeaten and is a talent on the floor at least, but she has not fought for nearly three years and has served a drugs ban in that time. Since her last fight, Leonardo has fought eight times which will inevitably play in her favour.
There are a lot of unknowns about Gatto. We do not know how rusty she will be and how much she has improved since 2018. She is a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and we expect her to try and get the fight to the ground.
Leonardo is the better striker and can wrestle so if she can fend off Gatto for three rounds, she will have an easy night but if she makes a mistake, she could easily get tangled up in a submission.
A Leonardo decision or Gatto submission are you best bets here, but it is hard to predict considering Gatto’s time off and lack of tape.
Prediction: Leonardo via Decision - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)
Value Bet: Gatto via Submission
