UFC Fight Island 4 was supposed to be a showcase for the women’s bantamweight division’s up-and-comers. Instead, it turned out to be a statement from the old guard, not willing to go down without a fight. Certainly not Saturday night in Abu Dhabi.
The main event saw Holly Holm do what Holly Holm does best, use her length, via her kicks, jab, and combos, to keep Irene Aldana at bay. Finding her rhythm as the fight progressed, Holm slowly picked apart the Mexican fighter, eventually working in multiple takedowns on a fighter who had previously only been taken down twice in the UFC.
The performance, and win, didn’t earn Holm any extra cash. But Germaine de Randamie’s submission of Julianna Pena sure helped her bank account. de Randamie, the number-one ranked bantamweight in the UFC, used her kickboxing skills, as expected, and was on the way to winning a decision at UFC Fight Island 4. But when the fight went to the ground in the third, de Randamie was able to latch on to Pena’s neck with a guillotine choke. A nasty one. Pena went out, giving “The Iron Lady” a technical submission win. And for that, she earned one of four Performance of the Night awards.
A third-round submission by Germaine de Randamie was a +2300 with the oddsmakers.
No Fight of the Night was handed out Saturday. The other performance bonuses, meanwhile, went to Kyler Phillips, Dusko Todorovic, and Luigi Vendramini. Todorovic and Phillips opened the main card at the Flash Forum with back-to-back second-round TKOs, while Vendramini opened the event with a head kick that dropped opponent Jessin Ayari, before a few follow-up strikes sealed the deal.
All four fighters pick up an extra $50,000 for their finishes on Fight Island.
