[autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] is going home with a win.
The former UFC strawweight champion defeated [autotag]Michelle Waterson[/autotag] during the preliminary card of UFC 249 on Saturday night. Esparza (16-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC) outpointed Waterson (17-8 MMA, 5-4 UFC) 27-30, 29-28 and 30-27 on the judges’ scorecards, thus earning a split-decision.
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In the first round, both fighters were tentative to engage. The shots weren’t thrown often, but both still had their respective moments on the feet. In the last 30 seconds of the round, Esparza was able to secure takedown and control Waterson from top position.
The second round was much closer than the first. The fight never hit the ground and there was little action on the feet.
In the third and final round, Waterson kept control of the outside of the octagon and was able to avoid takedowns from Esparza. Waterson also landed several leg and body kicks. Esparza had a few nice right hands, and picked up the pace in the final minute, rushing and landing several flurry of punches on Waterson.
Esparza is now on a three-fight winning streak. Her last defeat came in late 2018 where she lost via TKO to top contender Tatiana Suarez.
On the other hand, Waterson is now on two fight skid, having lost to Joanna Jedrzejczyk in October.
The women’s strawweight bout was part of the UFC 249 preliminary card at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. It aired on ESPN/ESPN+ following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+ and ahead of a main card on pay-per-view.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 249 results include:
- Carla Esparza def. Michelle Waterson via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 30-27)
- Vicente Luque def. Niko Price via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) – Round 3, 3:37
- Bryce Mitchell def. Charles Rosa via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-24)
- Ryan Spann def. Sam Alvey via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
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