Prediction: Michelle Montague via Submission
On the feet, Carolina definitely has the edge. She’s more composed, more aware of the exchanges, and she knows how to counter while setting up her own offense. Montague, by comparison, kind of just hurls herself into range and starts throwing, which looks messy and leaves openings. If it’s a pure striking match, Carolina’s going to look like the cleaner, sharper fighter all day.
But here’s where things tilt heavy toward Montague: she’s the bigger, stronger woman, and she doesn’t need to play a perfect striking game because she can get this fight to the mat whenever she wants. And once it hits the ground, that’s Montague’s world. She doesn’t force submissions out of desperation. She builds into them. She pounds on you, keeps tight top control, and makes you choose between getting punched in the face or giving up your back. That’s when she locks in the choke.
Carolina’s striking is solid, but her defensive grappling has always been shaky against strong top players, and Montague has exactly the kind of game to take advantage. The physicality, the control, the patience in her setups. All consistent tools she uses that gives her the win and this match up will be no different.