You read it right: one judge gave a 30-28 score to Hannah Cifers in her unanimous decision win against Jodie Esquibel at UFC 241.
In her fourth promotional appearance, Jodie Esquibel was looking for her first UFC victory at UFC 241. Standing across from was Hannah Cifers, seeking her second straight win. Esquibel started her career at 6-2 with a loss on The Ultimate Fighter before getting her shot at the highest level. Since then, she’s lost to Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Jessica Aguilar, and Angela Hill. Cifers was 8-2 with losses to UFC veterans Heather Jo Clark and Gillian Robertson when she fell victim to Maycee Barber in her promotional debut. She bounced back with a close split decision against Polyana Viana in her most recent fight.
The strawweight pairing was slotted in as the featured early preliminary fight at UFC 241 Saturday night at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA.
The pair circled one another early on, with Cifers looking to land a leg kick. She fired off a handful of right hands as well, leading to the first proper exchange. Esquibel would then shoot for a double leg roughly ninety seconds in, but Cifers takedown defense proved up to the job. A body kick would connect for Cifers, as would a right hand upstairs; Esquibel would later land a left of her own. At the end of the frame, Esquibel would again look for the takedown, but again, she was denied.
In the second, Esquibel managed to take the fight down and get on top of Cifers, going to work in a closed guard. But while landing shots to the body, the ref stood the pair up, a rather quick stand-up really. Cifers then briefly got Esquibel down, but they were back to the feet in a flash. Continuing the trend, Esquibel then took Cifers down again, but Cifers attacked an arm. However, Cifers wasn’t in position, with Esquibel’s leg in the way. In a transition, a triangle and omoplata were a threat from Cifers, but the pair scrambled back to their feet.
Round three saw the pair throwing single strikes early, with neither fighter throwing much, and landing even less. Cifers landed over the top with a right, Esquibel would land with a kick, and finally timed a takedown halfway through the round that planted Cifers on her back. Cifers utilized a closed guard, while at times trying to sneak a leg up her opponent’s back. Esquibel added a few ground strikes, but was eventually stood up. Back on the feet the pair traded kicks, and Equibel shot for one final, powerful takedown at the end of the bout before time ran out. The only surprise? A 30-28 score from one judge…
Shockwave! @HannahCifersMMA gets the UD victory at #UFC241! pic.twitter.com/4qj2VSf64H
— UFC (@ufc) August 17, 2019
Hannah Cifers def. Jodie Esquibel by unanimous decision (30-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Check out all the results from UFC 241 here!
