Fighting for the first time in over a year at UFC Vegas 8, TUF Alum Emily Whitmire was looking to bounce back from a June 2019 loss to Amanda Ribas. She was also looking to make up for seeing her bout with Polyana Viana bounced from the UFC 246 card earlier this year, after missing weight for the fight and ending up hospitalized.
Step one was completed Friday, with Whitmire making weight for the fight. Step two was getting off to a good start, which Whitmire did. Or so it seemed. Getting a body lock, Whitmire took the fight to the ground, landing in side control. However, Viana was perfectly happy to fight off her back, slowly working to trap Whitmire in a submission. It didn’t take long for the Brazilian to do so. With both fighters dry early in the fight, Viana laid her trap. She threw a couple of strikes (elbows) from bottom. Once Whitmire reacted, she got her legs in position, grabbed the limb, then forced the tap from Whitmire.
ABSOLUTE PRECISION ⚡️
🇧🇷 @Polyana_VianaDF locks in the armbar to close in RD 1.
Watch now on @ESPN & #ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/yuzWVScWgE
— UFC (@ufc) August 29, 2020
An impressive win for Viana, and in hindsight, it was certainly a mistake on Whitmire’s part going to the ground so early in the fight. With the win, Viana improved to 11-4. The submission was the fifth fastest in UFC strawweight history.
Official Result: Polyana Viana def. Emily Whitmire by submission (arm-bar), Round 1, 1:53
