A late, very late, notice opponent has stepped up against Ariane Lipski at UFC Sao Paulo on Saturday, with Isabella de Padua stepping in with just a day to prepare.
UFC on ESPN+ 22 will be hosted in Sao Paulo, Brazil. With the event happening Saturday, the card suffered a hit to the preliminary portion of the show at the very last minute. Ariane Lipski was set to fight Veronica Macedo, but now Macedo is out of the fight. Brazil’s own Isabella de Padua steps in on day’s notice and will now fight Lipski at UFC Sao Paulo.
5’3″
Strawweight
28-years-old
Mogi-Guacu, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Team Nikolai MMA
5-1
2 KO/TKO
1 Submission (Guillotine)
How Padua will fare in the UFC:
Padua is a brawler on the feet. Not technical at all but will cut off the cage and has that in-your-face style. Throwing wild loops Padua leaves herself open and her lack of power is a dangerous flaw. She favors her right hand and though she lands well with it, she can be very repetitive. She will tend to fish for the takedowns; her wrestling needs work when it comes to set-ups and being able to re-adjust. Once on top she has good active ground and pound and knows her transitions. Padua falls short holding control and at times goes for submission before position as her BJJ isn’t as refined as it could be. Overall Padua is a fun fighter but won’t go far in the UFC. Prediction: 0-3 to start in the UFC.
- Striking: C
- Kickboxing: D+
- Clinch: C+
- Wrestling: C+
- Grappling: C+
- Striking Defense: C+
- Takedown Defense: C+
- Cardio: C+
- Biggest Strength: Ground-and-Pound
- Biggest Weakness: Too wild
How Padua matches up against Lipski:
Lipski has had a disappointing run in the UFC but coming into the promotion she was a top prospect. It’s hard to see anywhere Padua can win this however, unless she can get takedowns. On the feet, Lipski is better in all areas mainly with her speed and technical ability. And while the takedown is her path to victory, the wrestling of Padua won’t be a good enough to take Lipski down. Lipski has a more high-level experience and that UFC experience.
