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Usually, X-factors are something outside the cage.

How will this fighter look competing at a new weight class? How will that one look after a long layoff? Will the shakeups to their coaching staff pay off? On down the list.

This isn't one of those times. Both Amanda Nunes and Cris Cyborg are tried-and-true talents. With solid training camps, a reasonably active schedule and no concerns over how they will look for this fight, peak performance can be expected in both corners.

The most interesting X-factor here is the lack of a physical or power advantage for either woman.

Though Cyborg and Nunes are far more than throwback brutes, there's no question that they thrive when opponents are athletically overwhelmed. Whether it's outmuscling contenders when wrestling or blasting them with power punches, their sheer brawn has been a key part to their successes. Seeing how they adjust, and what extra layers they add to their games in anticipation of that should be a treat.

Like so many other athletically gifted fighters, Nunes and Cyborg have almost been faulted for their strength by fans and certain pundits. Their technical skills are frequently dismissed as victories are chalked up to their size and reach advantages, leaving them on a "proving themselves" treadmill.

That should end here, though.

Nunes has faced most of the bantamweight division's best pure athletes, but this is the first time she will be facing a definitively larger woman. Cyborg, meanwhile, will still own a size advantage but will finally be facing an opponent who can challenge her in terms of physicality, stopping power and experience.

Seeing how both competitors adjust to this, and seeing what new wrinkles emerge in their game as a result, makes this a contest to watch closely.

Edge: None