Rayanne dos Santos vs Alice Ardelean

Rayanne dos Santos and Alice Ardelean face off in a strawweight bout where both fighters aim to secure their first UFC victory. Dos Santos, a former Invicta FC atomweight champion, seeks to translate her prior success into the UFC arena. Ardelean, known for her striking power and resilience, looks to rebound from recent setbacks and establish her presence in the division. 

Core Stats Comparison

*** This analysis does not include stats from DWCS/TUF/Road to UFC. Santos has 1 previous bout in DWCS.

Striking Breakdown:

Rayanne Dos Santos holds the edge on the feet, landing with a sharp 50% striking accuracy and boasting a solid 63% striking defense, a full 10 percentage points higher than Alice Ardelean’s 53%. Both fighters are active—Dos Santos lands 4.7 significant strikes per minute, while Ardelean lands slightly more at 4.97. However, Dos Santos absorbs 4.37 strikes per minute, compared to Ardelean’s 4.97, giving Dos Santos a narrow striking differential advantage.

Grappling Breakdown:

Data here is more limited. In the two bouts, Ardelean has shown some grappling initiative, completing takedowns in both of her UFC bouts at a 40% accuracy, and holding a perfect 100% takedown defense. Her takedown defense is immensely high as she has only defended 2 takedowns thus far.

On the other hand, Dos Santos has not landed a takedown, but showed her resilience by stuffing 8 takedown attempts from opponent Alencar—giving her the 89% takedown defense. Grappling exchanges could be limited, but both fighters have submission wins, so any trip to the mat could be dangerous.

Summary:

This is a must-win matchup for both women, but Rayanne Dos Santos holds the clear striking advantage, with better accuracy, defense, and a slightly more efficient output. If she keeps the fight standing, her clean striking and ability to avoid damage could carry her on the scorecards. That said, Alice Ardelean’s takedown attempts show she has the ability to mix things up, especially in a close contest.