Roxanne Modafferi dug deep after a tough second round to defeat Andrea Lee at UFC Vegas 10 by unanimous decision.
Roxanne Modafferi got the best of Andrea Lee way back in 2014, then their paths crossed again at UFC Vegas 10. Since that first fight, Modafferi was 7-6 with a big upset win against Maycee Barber along the way. She had alternated losses and wins since returning to the UFC in 2017 and accumulated a 3-4 record. Modafferi was looking to rebound from a loss to Lauren Murphy.
Lee had been more successful, going 9-3 since their first meeting and winning the LFA title. Lee won the first three fights of her UFC tenure, but had since lost a pair of split decisions to Murphy and Joanne Calderwood.
The fight had a bit of a broken start as Lee’s mouthpiece came out during the first exchange. Modafferi then caught a kick then knocked Lee off balance with a right hand. Modafferi tried to take her down off of it, but Lee stayed on her feet. Modafferi then charged in for a takedown but was beautifully thrown down by Lee. Modafferi worked her way up, got the clinch, then took Lee down into half guard. Lee spun around and took some damage, but eventually reversed position, taking the back of Modafferi. Modafferi got up and the round ended in the clinch.
Lee started the round with some leg kicks as Modafferi was committed to the jab. A combination came through for Lee capped off by a body kick. There were consistent exchanges on the feet with both fighters winning their fair share. Lee was beginning to take over, then got a Thai clinch and tripped Modafferi to bring her down briefly. She did the same move again and got Modafferi down a bit longer, landing an elbow on the way up. Lee cracked Modafferi with a spinning backfist then landed an onslaught of punches. Modafferi was able to catch a kick then land a takedown with 30 seconds left. Lee was able to do more damage than Roxy from her back.
Lee landed a slew of leg kicks to start the round, then traded uppercuts with Roxy. Modafferi was landing her fair share of strikes, mainly on the counter as Lee was mixing up body shots. Lee whiffed on a spinning backfist and Modafferi took advantage, getting a clinch then a takedown. Lee squirmed her way up, but Modafferi just took her right back down. Right before the final buzzer, Lee reversed position and ended up on top.
Roxanne Modafferi def. Andrea Lee by Unanimous Decision (29-28 x3)
