Fight Log
Loading Fight Log...
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Karolina Kowalkiewicz See More
The most intriguing MMA bets, top DFS picks across multiple sites, and predictions for this weekend's UFC Vegas 79 card are live before Saturday's event, courtesy of Chris Olson.
The top MMA betting and DFS plays for this weekend's UFC Vegas 80 card are up and courtesy of Drake Burden, who breaks down betting and lineup strategy, as well as offers predictions for the entire event.
UFC Vegas 80 takes place Saturday, and Jon Litterine is back to break down the top fights, plus offer his DFS picks and predictions for the key matchups on the card.
More Fantasy News
Runs winning streak to four
Kowalkiewicz defeated Diana Belbita via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
If you see one Kowalkiewicz fight, you've seen them all. Her power is minimal and she's a below-average athlete, but Karolina has always been tough as nails and technical on the feet. Her fight IQ is strong, as is her ability to close distance, which allowed her to get the better of Belbita in what was primarily a kickboxing match. Kowalkiewicz landed plenty of knees from in tight and got stronger as the fight progressed. By the time the final bell rang, there's zero doubt who deserved the win. Set to turn 38 years old next week, Karolina's upside is minimal, but she's won four in a row dating back to June 2022, a remarkable feat considering she lost her four prior bouts.
If you see one Kowalkiewicz fight, you've seen them all. Her power is minimal and she's a below-average athlete, but Karolina has always been tough as nails and technical on the feet. Her fight IQ is strong, as is her ability to close distance, which allowed her to get the better of Belbita in what was primarily a kickboxing match. Kowalkiewicz landed plenty of knees from in tight and got stronger as the fight progressed. By the time the final bell rang, there's zero doubt who deserved the win. Set to turn 38 years old next week, Karolina's upside is minimal, but she's won four in a row dating back to June 2022, a remarkable feat considering she lost her four prior bouts.
Scheduled against Belbita
Kowalkiewicz will compete against Diana Belbita in a strawweight fight at UFC Vegas 80 on Oct. 7, according to Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
This will be Kowalkiewicz's first chance to improve her winning streak to four, which would be her best in the UFC thus far. She stands a solid chance against Belbita, who debuted at strawweight in 2021 and is 2-1 across her three fights in said weight class.
This will be Kowalkiewicz's first chance to improve her winning streak to four, which would be her best in the UFC thus far. She stands a solid chance against Belbita, who debuted at strawweight in 2021 and is 2-1 across her three fights in said weight class.
Picks up third straight win
Kowalkiewicz defeated Vanessa Demopoulos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
Easy work. After scoring 20 percent of Demopoulos' purse after she missed weight by 1.5 pounds Friday morning, Kowalkiewicz went out and pounded her opponent from bell to bell. She finished with a whopping 148-83 edge in the total strike department, including a 139-68 edge in those deemed "significant." Karolina is now 37 years of age, has zero power (one career knockout win), and no means of generating any sort of secondary offense, but the fact she's still with the UFC and riding a three-fight winning streak is nothing short of remarkable considering she lost five in a row from September 2018 to August 2021. Very few fighters are ever given the opportunity to rebound from a losing streak like that, let alone take advantage of it.
Easy work. After scoring 20 percent of Demopoulos' purse after she missed weight by 1.5 pounds Friday morning, Kowalkiewicz went out and pounded her opponent from bell to bell. She finished with a whopping 148-83 edge in the total strike department, including a 139-68 edge in those deemed "significant." Karolina is now 37 years of age, has zero power (one career knockout win), and no means of generating any sort of secondary offense, but the fact she's still with the UFC and riding a three-fight winning streak is nothing short of remarkable considering she lost five in a row from September 2018 to August 2021. Very few fighters are ever given the opportunity to rebound from a losing streak like that, let alone take advantage of it.
Facing heavy opponent
Kowalkiewicz's opponent Vanessa Demopoulos weighed in at 117.5, missing the strawweight limit by 1.5 pounds ahead of Saturday's fight at UFC Vegas 73, MMA Junkie reports.
ANALYSIS
Kowalkiewicz will receive 20 percent of Demopoulos' purse as a result of the weight miss. The former title challenger is looking to gather momentum with what would be a third straight win after a disastrous stretch that saw her drop five consecutive fights.
Kowalkiewicz will receive 20 percent of Demopoulos' purse as a result of the weight miss. The former title challenger is looking to gather momentum with what would be a third straight win after a disastrous stretch that saw her drop five consecutive fights.
Facing Demopoulos in May
Kowalkiewicz agreed to fight Vanessa Demopoulos in a strawweight bout at UFC's May 20 event, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Kowalkiewicz lost five straight fights from September of 2018 to to August of 2021, but she bounced back in 2022 with victories over Felice Herrig and Silvana Gomez Juarez. Demopoulos has won three consecutive bouts since falling in her UFC debut back in 2021.
Kowalkiewicz lost five straight fights from September of 2018 to to August of 2021, but she bounced back in 2022 with victories over Felice Herrig and Silvana Gomez Juarez. Demopoulos has won three consecutive bouts since falling in her UFC debut back in 2021.