To start Saturday night, Mariya Agapova and Shana Dobson were two fighters on very different trajectories.
Kazakhstan’s Agapova had made her debut earlier this year, earning a submission over Hannah Cifers. Since losing to Tracy Cortez on the Contender Series, Agapova had won three straight, with the other two bouts coming in Invicta FC.
Dobson, meanwhile, had lost three straight heading into the pair’s flyweight bout at UFC Vegas 7. She was, frankly, fighting for her job.
After a quick exchange on the feet in this one, in which Agapova had the advantage, Shana Dobson elected to take the fight down. She had Agapova on her back for a moment; when Agapova escaped up, Dobson took things back down again, but wound up on her back.
Agapova was going full tilt, dropping some big ground strikes. On the feet, they kept the pace up, Agapova still putting everything and the kitchen sink into her attacks. But her impatience may have cost her, as she went off-balance and wound up taken down again. Dobson took the back, but was too high up, and Agapova tried to shake her off. Dobson looked for an arm-bar, but didn’t have it. Agapova then took the back, looking for a rear-naked choke, but Dobson survived.
On a night with some blistering action with Timur Valiev vs. Trevin Jones and Daniel Rodriguez vs. Dwight Grant, this pair had clearly been paying attention. Agapova in particular was fighting at a frentic pace. Whether she could keep that up was a question. Dobson opened the second with a high kick; Agapova took her down and got in guard. But Dobson reversed, mounted, and Agapova gave up her back. Dobson began launching bombs, with Agapova was suddenly covering up. A winded Agapova rolled, but Dobson kept at her and earned the TKO win!
The end result, nothing but an upset. Dobson yelled “underdog” and barked following the win. And she was exactly that, a massive underdog. Agapova, winded and rocked, had to be helped to her stool.
Official Result: Shana Dobson def. Mariya Agapova by TKO, Round 2, 1:38
