Kicking off Saturday’s UFC 276 card at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Jessica-Rose Clark vs. Julija Stoliarenko was very much flying under the radar.
Clark had seen a two-fight win streak halted in her last fight while Stoliarenko was fighting for her job, having lost three straight fights coming into the bout.
“Jessy Jess” hit the octagon walking out to “Sexy Boy,” the entrance theme of pro wrestling star Shawn Michaels. The choice was announced on The MMA Hour earlier this week, but the fun stopped moments later.
Jessica Rose-Clark went from Shawn Michaels to Marty Jannetty in 42 seconds#UFC276
— Keith Shillan (@KeithShillanMMA) July 2, 2022
With the pair skipping the traditional touch of the gloves, both fighters took the center of the octagon. A low kick from Stoliarenko started the fight and then a high kick from Clark followed. Clark tagged Stoliarenko with a right hand and then charged her. Stoliarenko popped Clark with a 1-2 and then changed levels, taking her down. Stoliarenko immediately transitioned straight to an arm-bar and forced Clark to tap frantically — possibly dislocating her elbow in the process.
The angle the limb wound up at during the submission was simply horrifying, and Clark was clearly in pain and nursing her arm after the fight.
OH MY GOODNESS 🤯
Julija Stoliarenko LADIES AND GENTLEMAN!!!
[ #UFC276 | Early Prelims LIVE on @UFCFightPass & ESPN+ ] pic.twitter.com/y1T3VkMUZj
— UFC (@ufc) July 2, 2022
With her back firmly against the wall, Stoliarenko picked up her first UFC win, saving her spot on the roster. Clark on the other hand has dropped two straight and might be fighting her job in her next outing. That might be a while yet, and we hope that Clark quickly recovers from the injury sustained during the fight.
Official Result: Julija Stoliarenko def. Jessica Rose Clark by submission (arm-bar) Round 1, 0:42
