The second of three scheduled fights on the ladies’ side of things (Gillian Robertson and Miranda Maverick were scheduled to throw down earlier, but were cancelled due to a non-COVID illness from Robertson) at UFC 258 saw Polyana Viana up against Mallory Martin. The strawweight scrap saw both fighters looking to build modest win streaks after picking up victories in their previous outings.
In the end, it didn’t take long for the fight to play out — mostly on the ground.
The two traded early with a lot of forward movement from Mallory Martin. Less than a minute into the fight, Martin caught a kick from Viana and pushed for a takedown. Viana conceded, even seeming to jump guard. Viana began working right away off of her back. She attacked with a triangle and locked it in. It was tight — and Martin was stuck in it for a while. Martin worked several escapes to get out – using a slam, cuting an angle, rolling. Nothing seemed to work. Still, Martin hung in there. Ultimately, Viana switched things up to an arm bar, and got the tap early on.
Wouldn't be denied 😤
🇧🇷 @Polyana_VianaDF locks in the RD 1 armbar!
[ #UFC258 prelims – LIVE on @ESPN ] pic.twitter.com/drNoJII8ld
— UFC (@ufc) February 14, 2021
The win marked the second straight for Viana, and proved she is very much a threat off her back.
Offical Result: Polyana Viana def. Mallory Martin by submission (arm-bar), Round 1, 3:18
