Preview: UFC Fight Night 228 Prelims

Women’s Strawweights

Mizuki Inoue (14-6, 1-1 UFC) vs. Hannah Goldy (6-3, 1-3 UFC)

ODDS: Inoue (-298), Goldy (+240)

This marks the comeback of Inoue after a three-year layoff, and the former top prospect is somehow still just 29 years old. A professional since the age of 16, Inoue was only 20 years old when she was going toe-to-toe with fighters like Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Alexa Grasso, leading to the expectation that she would dominate the strawweight division by her mid-20s. However, her career has mostly stalled out since those fights a decade ago, in part due to injury layoffs and in part thanks to Inoue hitting a clear physical ceiling. She is a well-rounded fighter who has never really gotten blown out, but her 2020 pairing with Amanda Lemos saw her unable to get much momentum going in her direction against a much stronger athlete. With that said, a strength disadvantage is not always a death knell—Inoue’s UFC debut saw her outwork a former bantamweight in the much larger Yanan Wu—so there is still a solid chance she gets things done in her return against Goldy. One look at Goldy makes it apparent that she is a physical force, but she has struggled to maximize her gifts at the UFC level. Goldy has typically preferred to fight at a slow pace from range, which can be a difficult proposition given her short and stocky frame. Her 2022 loss to Molly McCann at least saw her use more clinch work before getting knocked out, and Goldy does have some tricky grappling skills, so there is a chance she could make this a grind and find some success in close quarters. Assuming she shows up close to her old form, Inoue should be solid enough to hold her own in a dogfight, and that is with the assumption that she cannot frustrate Goldy with striking volume and a clear speed advantage. The pick is Inoue via decision.

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