Fight fans will be treated to a fairly low-profile UFC Fight Night event this Saturday, but one thing to keep an eye on during the event is the promotional debut of former Oktagon MMA double-champion Lucia Szabová.
Coming from a successful striking background, Szabová has spent the entirety of her MMA career competing under the Oktagon banner since winning her debut via first-round armbar in 2019.
A 9-0 start to her MMA career that included seven wins via finish set Szabová up for a shot at women’s bantamweight gold at Oktagon 74, where she stopped defending titleholder Cecile Bolander with ground and pound just over three minutes into the fight.
“Silent Killer” became the first female two-division Oktagon champion in April when she also stopped Leidiane Fernandes with ground and pound in a fight for the promotion’s vacant flyweight belt, and in her last outing at Oktagon 92 the 28-year-old successfully defended her bantamweight title against UFC and Oktagon veteran Lucie Pudilová.
Szabová’s striking skills are typically on full display from the moment her fights start, and she’s comfortable working both as the primary aggressor or off the back foot if her opponent elects to try and dictate the action. Regular combinations of straight punches are punctuated by left hooks and uppercuts with her rear hand, and outside of occasional jabs the 28-year-old almost always throws multiple punches at a time.
Opponents that choose to engage with Szabová at range need to be wary of her diverse kicking game. She’s especially dexterous with her lead leg high kicks, but she’ll also mix up her targets to the legs, body, and head with both legs and loves to close out her punching combinations with a kick.
Arguably the most dangerous part of Szabová’s skillset is her clinch game, as she’ll immediately look to start landing knees to the body as soon as she finds herself in close range with an opponent. “Silent Killer” will also throw knees to the head when the opportunity presents itself and does an excellent job of framing off an opponent’s face with her forearm, which helps create space for her to land nasty elbows in during the clinch or off the break.
Szabová’s relentless body work both at range and in the clinch allows her to steadily break her opposition down, and that approach is helped by the fact that she has an excellent gas tank that allows her to keep pouring on volume as her opponents fade. She also likes to mix things up with well-timed trip takedowns, and from top position she’s capable of ending fights with devastating ground and pound that utilizes both punches and elbows.
The Slovakian star has also showcased an opportunistic submission game and boasts a number of wins via armbar, which she can threaten either from her back or after softening an opponent up with strikes from the top. Szabová’s kick-heavy game does provide openings for opponents to take her down, but so far no one has really been able to keep her on the mat and control her for an extended period.
Szabová arrives in the UFC with high expectations given her undefeated record and previous success with Oktagon, and per our own Hudson Gelfand she had an excellent camp alongside recent UFC newcomer Nina Milošević (who fights next weekend) in Australia to prepare for this flyweight fight with Tainara Lisboa. A finish seems likely for “Silent Killer” this weekend, and the UFC shouldn’t have to waste much time before matching Szabová up with ranked opposition next year.
