The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada hosted Saturday’s UFC 216: Ferguson vs. Lee. On the FX preliminary card was where strawweight Pearl Gonzalez stepped into the octagon for a second time and welcomed Poliana Botelho, the latter making her UFC debut.
Pearl Gonzalez was returning to the octagon after a disappointing debut loss to Cynthia Calvillo at UFC 210 that came by submission (Rear-Naked Choke). She entered the octagon Saturday looking to get back on track with a victory over newcomer Poliana Botelho.
Nova União product and UFC debutante Poliana Botelho was making her promotional debut Saturday. She entered the cage riding a three fight win streak with her most recent win over Silvana Gómez Juárez for the vacant XFC Women’s Flyweight Championship.
In a fight that went the distance, Gonzalez was able to get out of the gate early, landing a number of legs kicks and some punches. And then things slowed down. Oddly, the fight saw Gonzalez spend most of all three rounds working unsuccessfully for the takedown, pressing Bothelo up against the cage. This while opponent Poliana Botelho rained down punches and heavy elbows.
This was the story of this fight with Pearl Gonzalez driving Poliana Botelho to the fence, then working for the takedown all while Botelho landed shots. When not being pressed up against the fence, Botelho displayed some flashy striking, especially with a handful of spinning back kicks. Gonzalez’s persistence, meanwhile, earned her boos from the crowd, and eventually it was Botelho who scored the takedown to finish the third round.
Poliana Botelho Def. Pearl Gonzalez by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
