Both JJ Aldrich and Liang Na were looking to snap two-fight skids in their women’s flyweight match-up at UFC Singapore.
Na was still in search of her first win in the promotion when she collided with the American fighter as part of the Fight Night event’s preliminary card. Na was also moving up in weight for the fight, after starting her UFC run at 115lbs.
Early on, Aldrich found some success on the feet, but when they went to the ground, it was Na on top. They didn’t stay down long; Aldrich scrambled up, but was taken down again. Na was looking to set up an arm-triangle choke, but Aldrich used a body lock and butterfly hooks to escape up and out. A left hand followed by a right hook landed for Aldrich, and this time, it was Aldrich taking the back after a Na takedown attempt backfired.
Aldrich would spend the rest of the round on top, but wasn’t able to make much happen, with Na defending well off her back.
Liang opened round two on the attack, then dropped for a well-timed takedown, quickly taking the back. Aldrich nearly gave up mount going to the back, but survived and wound up in north-south position. From there, Aldrich wound up in side control, kneeing the body. In time she moved to mount, looking to lock in an arm-triangle choke. While she didn’t have the submission, she was able to tie up Na’s arms and landing some nasty shots to the face. With ground n’ pound coming in spurts, it felt as if the end would come at any moment — and it did, just ahead of the end of the round!
Official Result: JJ Aldrich def. Liang Na by TKO (ground n’ pound), Round 2, 4:49
