“Dragon Girl” Liang Na looked to snap a three-fight skid when she took on Ivana Petrovic in a women’s flyweight fight on the UFC Vegas 91 prelims on Saturday.
Croatia’s Petrovic, undefeated prior to signing with the UFC, was looking to bounce back from a loss to Luana Carolina in her promotional debut.
The second bout of the night saw Na look for a takedown early, putting Petrovic up against the cage. For all her effort, however, she could not get Petrovic down.
That scene would repeat a moment later, and by the midway point of the round two takedowns had been fended off. Still, Liang Na had been controlling, even getting some damage in off the break. but it was Petrovic nearly landing her own takedown next, only to end up seated the wrong way with Na, on bottom, sliding on the back.
Another scramble, and Petrovic did in fact end up on top on top. The Croatian fighter then went after an arm-bar, but was in too tight against the cage to finish the submission. Instead, she fired elbows and punches to the body, before chasing the arm-bar again in the dying seconds of the opening frame.
Round two saw Liang Na follow the same game plan, taking the fight to the cage in pursuit of the takedown. She fired knees in the clinch, but the larger, longer Petrovic reversed; Na reversed again before the pair broke and Liang marched forward firing punches. Petrovic fired back targeting the body, but was showing some redness around the temple, and soon landed a takedown of her own, setting up in side control.
Petrovic would from there spend the bulk of the round on top, in control, dropping punches and generally controlling Na. She turned up the heat in the final minute of the round, and found herself in mount. Na turned, gave up her back, and was eating a considerable amount of ground n’ pound. Only the fell saved Na from being finished at the end of the sequence, with the ref right on top of things.
It wouldn’t take long for Ivana Petrovic to get the job done in the third. An exhausted Liang Na had nothing left in the tank, and when Petrovic shot a single-leg takedown, Na pretty much fell over. It short succession Petrovic took the back, locked up the arm-triangle choke and forced the tap for her first UFC win!
Official Result: Ivana Petrovic def. Liang Na by submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 3, 1:29
