UFC Vegas 33: Cheyanne Buys vs. Gloria de Paula Fight Breakdown

Coverage of this UFC event begins with undercard action at 6 pm ET/ 3 pm PT on ESPN, with a live simulcast on the cabler’s streaming platform, ESPN+.

This strawweight contest is a maximum of three rounds at five minutes per round.

UFC Vegas 33 Fighter Comparison

Going into this fight at UFC Vegas 33, De Paula is the taller contender at 5-foot-5, with Buys standing 5-foot-3.

In addition, De Paula owns a 4 1/2-inch reach advantage (67 1/2 inches to 63 inches even) and a one-inch leg reach advantage (37 inches to 36 inches) over Buys on the tale of the tape in this fight.

Buys Victim of Controversy in Last Fight

Cheyanne Buys enters UFC Vegas 33 having posted a record of 4-1 in her last five MMA fights, dropping a unanimous decision at UFC Vegas 22 against Montserrat Ruiz back in March, but the story was hardly over from there.

After that fight, the two combatants engaged in a war of words, culminating in Ruiz spitting on Buys after the latter threatened her by saying:

“I’ll follow you home, (expletive deleted).”

In the post-fight presser, Ruiz denied her actions, saying:

“No, I didn’t spit on her at all. It was probably the momentum. I’m not the kind of person that likes to spit, and if you spit on someone, that’s crossing the line, and that’s not something I was thinking about doing.”

De Paula Focused On Larger Picture

In the other corner, Gloria de Paula (who, like Cheyanne Buys, is a 2020 graduate of Dana White’s Contender Series,) has gone 3-2 in her last five MMA fights, losing last time out against Jinh Yu Frey at UFC Vegas 21 back in March.

Prior to that fight, she was focused on more than just getting a victory, saying:

“In my mind, I want to get in there and impress Dana again. That’s what I plan on doing in all my fights. The only difference is that I’m already under contract.”

Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction

Stylistically, this fight at UFC Vegas 33 on Saturday night looks to be another toss-up, with Buys subscribing to a switch fighting stance and De Paula as an orthodox fighter.

Look for A Fast Start From Buys

If you take the time to watch the film of Buys’ Contender Series win over Hilarie Rose from last August, one thing jumps out almost immediately:

Both Buys and Rose got off to a quick start that night, teeing off against one another from the command to fight, only being tempered when Rose attempted, and later canceled a submission attempt.

In addition, Buys likes to mix up her strikes against her opponent. Late in the first round of that fight, she scored with a punch-kick combo and then went to Rose’s body.

Buys has shown that she’s a well-rounded fighter on video, but can it translate to live-action during UFC Vegas 33 on Saturday night?

Watch for De Paula’s Punches

De Paula’s striking prowess may cancel out any fast start that Buys might have in UFC Vegas 33 on Saturday.

Looking back at the film of her first career fight in professional MMA, one can see that De Paula is capable of ending a fight with her fists.

That night four years ago, she was able to wear down Thuany Fernandez throughout the first round with a variety of strikes before she finally went down in a heap, emphatically completing the victory with a few punches at the end of the period.

If De Paula is able to effectively counterstrike against Buys this weekend, it could be the opening she needs to come away with the victory.

Final Thoughts

This fight during UFC Vegas 33 is going to be predicated upon which of the two fighters establishes control over her opponent first.

As always, make the fridge run before the fight.

Prediction: Cheyanne Buys by Unanimous Decision.

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