[autotag]Liana Jojua[/autotag] knows how to commit to an armbar, and her dedication led to a big win at UFC on ESPN 13.
After dropping her UFC debut, Jojua (8-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) returned to the octagon for her sophomore appearance on Wednesday’s card at Flash Forum in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. She got her first win under the UFC banner, submitting Diana Belbita (11-6 MMA, 0-2 UFC) in the first round of their flyweight matchup.
Jojua has earned all but one of her career finishes by submission, and Belbita made the error of taking things into her world early. It was a poor choice, as you can see in the highlight below (via Twitter):
HOW BOUT JOJUA!? đŹđȘ @LianaJojua records her 5ïžâŁth career armbar vs Belbita.
đș Action continues on @ESPN. #InAbuDhabi @VisitAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/LdHpe8wzeD
— UFC (@ufc) July 15, 2020
Belbita, to her credit, put up quite a fight once Jojua had her arm isolated. She squirmed every which way to free herself of the grip, but her efforts were futile. Jojua refused to let it go, and she got the job done.
A jubilant Jojua said during her post-fight interview she knew she’d be better on the ground, but was not completely pleased with her performance. Jojua said she only had one month to prepare for the fight, and that’s why she competed at 125 pounds.
Nevertheless, her fight produced one of the more memorable armbar tug-o-wars in recent history.
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