On Saturday, flyweight action at UFC Vegas 42 found Cortney Case looking to snap a two-fight skid against Georgian Liana Jojua.
Or well, it would have been flyweight action had Jojua not missed weight for the bout, necessitating at 128.5lb catchweight.
Jojua entered the bout looking to shake off a loss to Miranda Maverick just over a year ago. Only one woman was going to get back in the win column — and it turned out to be Casey, by a wide margin.
Both fighters took the center of the octagon after a touch of gloves. Both women fired off jabs to find the distance, but neither of them landed. Casey landed a low kick and then, 30 seconds later, a front kick. Casey started to let her hands fly and landed several 1-2s. Jojua fired back, but nothing landed. Another right hand from Casey landed. With just over 90 seconds remaining in the round, Casey threw another front kick. Jojua tried for a takedown but nothing came of it. Casey landed another combo that seemed to hurt Jojua and Casey rushed her, almost eating a front kick from Jojua. Roughly 30 seconds left, and Jojua landed a takedown and ended the round on top.
Round two started with Casey throwing another front kick. A minute into the round and both fighters exchanged punches, but Casey’s landed more flush. The last three minutes of round two was basically both fighters exchanging punches- nothing significant landed, but Jojua’s nose was bloodied, her shirt stained red. Casey tripped, and then Jojua jumped on top of her at the end of the round but ate an upkick. Jojua started dropping ground and pound to end the round.
Knocked down and met with up kicks 😳
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Round three started with Jojua knowing she had to finish the fight. Two minutes in and Jojua tried for a takedown, but Casey defended it. Casey landed a heavy right hand with two minutes left. Jojua’s face was an absolute mess by this point. Casey threw a 1-2 followed by a head kick. Both fighters clinched, but no action came of it. Jojua tried for another last-minute takedown and landed it, but it was too little too late.
With a one-sided decision win, Cortney Casey snapped her two-fight skid, potentially saving her job in the process. Following the bout, she revealed a possible broken hand, suffered in the opening round of the fight.
Official Result: Cortney Casey def. Liana Jojua by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-37)
