UFC 286: Wood vs Carolina 03/18/2023 – Joanne Wood faces Luana Carolina in a three-round women’s flyweight encounter that is part of the early preliminaries of UFC 286. The match is on Saturday, March 18, at the O2 Arena in London, England, and the festivities will kick off at 12:00 PM ET. Both fighters are looking to get back into the winning column as Carolina looks to bounce back from his previous setback against Molly McCann while Wood aims to break her three-fight losing skid. UFC fight picks side by Glasgow native Wood to emerge victorious over her Brazilian foe despite her unimpressive record inside the octagon.
UFC 286: Wood vs Carolina 03/18/2023
| When: | Saturday, March 18, 12:00 PM ET |
|---|---|
| Where: | O2 Arena, London, England |
| TV: | ESPN+ (US); BT Sport (UK) |
| Stream: | UFC Fight Pass |
UFC 286: Wood vs Carolina 03/18/2023 Odds
| Fighter | Odds | Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joanne Wood | -173 | Luana Carolina | +148 |
Main Card
Joanne Wood
After starting her career with nine straight wins, Joanne Wood (15-8, 7-8 UFC) has lost eight of her last 14 fights and these include defeats to Maryna Moroz, Jessica Andrade, Katlyn Chookagian and current women’s flyweight queen Alexa Grasso. Almost a year after her loss to Grasso, Wood steps inside the octagon once again as she looks to halt the three-game slide and resuscitate her fading UFC career. Most of Wood’s victories were by decision so she is more likely to solicit the impression of the judges in scoring and she has the cardio to do that.
Stats wise, the Glasgow native has been able to land 6.76 significant strikes per minute and has a 50% strike rate. Grappling wise, Wood has an average of 1.53 takedowns per 15 minutes and is proficient in takedowns with an accuracy rate of 55%. Here takedown defense is good by all standards at 59%.
Luana Carolina
Luana Carolina (8-3, 3-2 UFC) has been good in his five-fight stint in the UFC, winning three of her matches. However, she is coming off a knockout loss to Molly McCann in her last bout in March 2022. Almost a year after that heartbreaking defeat, the fighter known as “Dread” is making a comeback to the octagon as she aims to secure a win that would revitalize her career. The Brazilian has most of her victories by decision, meaning that she can last long and seek valuable points from the judges. In terms of stats, Carolina has landed 4.64 significant strikes per minute and absorbed an average of 3.55. Although she has not attempted a takedown in her UFC career, her takedown defense is an outstanding 82%.
Wood vs Carolina Betting Numbers
| Record | 14-4-0 | 6-1-0 |
| Last Fight | Loss | Loss |
| Country | United Kingdom | Brazil |
| Height | 5’6″ | 5’6″ |
| Weight (lbs) | 125 | 134 |
| Reach (in) | 65″ | 68″ |
| Win by KO/TKO | 33% | 25% |
| Win by Submission | 7% | 13% |
| Decisions | 60% | 63% |
| Strikes landed per minute | 6.1 | 6.53 |
| Striking accuracy | 48% | 50% |
| Striking absorbed per minute | 4.34 | 3.83 |
| Striking defense | 52% | 48% |
| Takedown average | 1.82 | 0 |
| Takedown accuracy | 57% | N/A |
| Takedown defense | 60% | 100% |
| Submission average | 0.61 | 2 |
Wood vs Carolina Betting Picks
Experts in the sports betting world suggest Wood to snatch a decision victory over Carolina as the veteran is expected to use his experience to score more points against the Brazilian. Although the fight is likely to go down as an action-packed affair, neither Wood nor Carolina has the power to knock out an opponent. The fight is expected to last the full route that would go in favor of the Scotland-born fighter after 15 minutes.
