One of two newcomers on the UFC Vegas 40 card, strawweight Istela Nunes had been waiting to make her octagon debut since 2019.
A USADA suspension had delayed that. But on Saturday, she finally arrived, with Ariane Carnelossi welcoming her to the promotion.
There was ample forward pressure from Carnelossi right away to start the fight. She was chucking overhands over the top finding the mark. Nunes was landing off her backfoot tagging Carnelossi. Carnelossi pressed forward with a barrage of output and closed it off with a takedown. A pretty blatant fence grab was ignored by the ref, and it wasn’t long until Nunes got back to her feet. Carnelossi was all over Nunes pressing her against the cage. Nunes eventually separated from Carnelossi. Nunes ended the round in space landing kicks and punches throwing good output.
Carnelossi came marching forward right away in round two. She walked into a good combination from Nunes. She was taking damage rushing in, but kept pushing Nunes against the cage. Carnelossi worked Nunes to the mat but Nunes got right back up. Two minutes left, and Nunes got away from Carnelossi along the cage. Each time Nunes had space she was landing combinations and kicks. The resilience of Carnelossi was on display as she closed the distance and completed another takedown. Nunes was able to get to her feet right before the bell.
Way more output from Nunes in round three. She was landing frequently and making Carnelossi pay coming in. Nunes kept letting Carnelossi walk her down however, and eventually she was taken down again. That time Carnelossi transitioned to the back and forced Nunes to tap from the rear-naked choke.
2nd straight stoppage win for @AnySorriso 🇧🇷
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— UFC (@ufc) October 16, 2021
Carnelossi fought a smart game plan, with the takedowns key. Spoiling the debut of Istela Nunes in the end.
Official Result: Ariane Carnelossi def. Istela Nunes by Submission (rear-naked choke), Round 3, 2:57
