Despite moving up 10 pounds and into a potential size disadvantage, [autotag]Cynthia Calvillo[/autotag] used takedowns to win points – and the fight – against recent title challenger [autotag]Jessica Eye[/autotag].
Calvillo (9-1-1 MMA, 6-1-1 UFC) outworked Eye (15-8 MMA, 5-7 UFC) after a close first round and took a five-round unanimous decision with a pair of 49-46 scores and a 48-47. It was Calvillo’s move back to flyweight after missing weight at strawweight twice in the her past three fights.
The women’s flyweight bout was the UFC on ESPN 10 co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.
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Calvillo popped off a quick combination early, then just missed an overhand right. When Eye tried to get inside, Calvillo landed a short left uppercut 40 seconds in. Eye pushed her back with her own combo a minute in, then fired off a stiff left jab. Two minutes in, Calvillo grazed Eye with a high kick, but the fight stayed on the feet. When Calvillo landed another left kick up high, Eye caught it and nearly took her off her feet.
A minute into the second round, Calvillo put Eye on the canvas after a minute of looking for striking openings. After a minute on the mat, Eye worked her way back to her feet, but Calvillo stayed attached to her and used that to take Eye’s back. The fight spilled back to the canvas and Calvillo kept the pressure on looking for a choke and landing punches to the head. She couldn’t find the finish before the horn, but the control time of more than half the round was big.
Both fighters found homes for their punches in the third, but Calvillo worked in leg kicks, perhaps trying to create an opening for another takedown like she had in the second that led to so much control. Calvillo’s jab continued to find a home. After Eye landed a big right hand with 85 seconds left, Calvillo dropped levels and landed another takedown.
It took Calvillo only 30 seconds into the fourth round to get the fight to the canvas. She caught a kick from Eye, then easily dragged the fight down to the mat. She took Eye’s back and looked for a rear-naked choke, then peppered in punches. Eye tried to scramble out of the bad position, but Calvillo stayed all over her. With 2:20 left, Eye got back to her feet and tried to turn things around. She stopped a takedown seconds later, then started pushing Calvillo backward. Calvillo seemed to slow down a little, but Eye might not have done enough late to win the round back.
The pace slowed in the fifth, including from Eye, who had to have presumed she might need a finish to win. Calvillo landed a spinning back fist with 80 seconds left, but Eye stayed standing. Eye kept throwing and landed a big right hand with a minute left. But 10 seconds later, Calvillo drove in and landed a takedown. She looked for a choke, but Eye scrambled away and got back to her feet with 20 seconds left. There wasn’t enough time for Eye to get anything done, though.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 10 results include:
- Cynthia Calvillo def. Jessica Eye via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)
- Marvin Vettori def. Karl Roberson via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:17
- Charles Rosa def. Kevin Aguilar via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Andre Fili def. Charles Jourdain via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Jordan Espinosa def. Mark De La Rosa via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
- Mariya Agapova def. Hannah Cifers via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:42
- Merab Dvalishvili def. Gustavo Lopez via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-25)
- Julia Avila def. Gina Mazany via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:22
- Tyson Nam def. Zarrukh Adashev via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 0:32
- Christian Aguilera def. Anthony Ivy via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:59
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