A women’s flyweight clash between Louisiana’s own Carli Judice and Brazil’s Nicolle Caliari will open the prelims at UFC 318: Holloway vs. Poirier 3, set for July 19, 2025, at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. It’s an explosive striker vs. submission specialist matchup between two hungry fighters seeking to establish themselves in the UFC flyweight division.
Carli Judice
Nicknamed “Crispy,” Carli Judice is a powerful striker with a 100% knockout finish rate. With a record of 4–2, all her wins have come via first-round KO/TKO, showcasing her head-kick power and aggressive hands. The 26-year-old fights out of Headkicks MMA and has quickly gained attention for her explosive style and fan-friendly approach.
Judice is coming off a highlight-reel knockout over Yuneisy Duben in March, where she ended the fight in just 1:40 of Round 1 with a head kick followed by punches. Prior to that, she dropped back-to-back split decisions to Gabriella Fernandes and Ernesta Kareckaite, close fights where her striking output wasn't enough to sway the judges.
She’s shown clear one-punch power, but her ground game remains untested at the UFC level, and she’s yet to earn a finish beyond the first round.
Carli Judice – Last 5 Fights:
1. Win vs. Yuneisy Duben – TKO (Head Kick & Punches) (UFC Fight Night, March 15, 2025)
2. Loss vs. Gabriella Fernandes – Decision (Split) (UFC on ESPN 58, June 15, 2024)
3. Loss vs. Ernesta Kareckaite – Decision (Split) (DWCS, September 26, 2023)
4. Win vs. Monica Medina – TKO (Regional, May 27, 2023)
5. Win vs. Tara Graff – TKO (Punches) (Regional, March 25, 2023)
Judice’s path to victory is clear: keep the fight standing, start fast, and look for another early knockout in front of her home crowd.
Carli Judice
Nicknamed “Crispy,” Carli Judice is a powerful striker with a 100% knockout finish rate. With a record of 4–2, all her wins have come via first-round KO/TKO, showcasing her head-kick power and aggressive hands. The 26-year-old fights out of Headkicks MMA and has quickly gained attention for her explosive style and fan-friendly approach.
Judice is coming off a highlight-reel knockout over Yuneisy Duben in March, where she ended the fight in just 1:40 of Round 1 with a head kick followed by punches. Prior to that, she dropped back-to-back split decisions to Gabriella Fernandes and Ernesta Kareckaite, close fights where her striking output wasn't enough to sway the judges.
She’s shown clear one-punch power, but her ground game remains untested at the UFC level, and she’s yet to earn a finish beyond the first round.
Carli Judice – Last 5 Fights:
1. Win vs. Yuneisy Duben – TKO (Head Kick & Punches) (UFC Fight Night, March 15, 2025)
2. Loss vs. Gabriella Fernandes – Decision (Split) (UFC on ESPN 58, June 15, 2024)
3. Loss vs. Ernesta Kareckaite – Decision (Split) (DWCS, September 26, 2023)
4. Win vs. Monica Medina – TKO (Regional, May 27, 2023)
5. Win vs. Tara Graff – TKO (Punches) (Regional, March 25, 2023)
Judice’s path to victory is clear: keep the fight standing, start fast, and look for another early knockout in front of her home crowd.
Prediction
This matchup is a textbook striker vs. grappler clash: Judice's knockout artistry against Caliari’s submission game.
If Judice can keep the fight standing, especially early, her power and range advantage (4 inches in height) could overwhelm Caliari. But if Caliari survives the opening barrage and drags the fight into deeper waters or to the canvas, her submission game could take over.
Judice has shown she can lose close decisions when her power doesn’t connect cleanly, while Caliari has proven she can weather storms and pull off slick finishes.
Prediction:
Nicolle Caliari def. Carli Judice via Submission (Armbar) in Round 2
Expect Judice to come out fast with aggressive striking in front of the New Orleans crowd, but Caliari will remain composed, eventually capitalize on a takedown or scramble, and lock in a slick armbar mid-fight to spoil the party.