Popular flyweight Andrea Lee found herself in must-win territory at UFC Louisville, paired up with Montana De La Rosa in a rematch dating back to 2019.
“KGB” Lee had won that fight via unanimous decision, but dropped her last four under the UFC banner. Montana, having lost her last three, found herself in similar circumstances, with the booking feeling very much like a loser-leaves-town match.
Early on, a noticeably aggressive Montana De La Rosa went right to work, throwing hands then landing a takedown. But Lee likewise wasted no time, reversing and getting on top. That, however, allowed De La Rosa to pursue a triangle, then an arm-bar, but Lee popped out, with the pair winding up back on the feet along the fence.
Coming off the fence, De La Rosa would catch a kick, then later take the back standing and wrap up a choke that she held onto probably longer than she should have. As impressive as it looked, Lee slipped out, and in dominant position that allowed her to fire a knee while Montana climbed to her feet. Well timed, and legal. De La Rosa flashed a spinning back kick, and had a bit more success with her hands, showing that despite expectations things were closer on the feet than they seemed.
Between rounds, “KGB” Lee corners Tony Kelley and Andy Nguyen both gave their fighter a kiss, encouraging her to get after it. She pressed forward early in the second, firing her jab, and fighting off a weak takedown attempt from De La Rosa. Montana did split the guard with an uppercut, but didn’t follow it up with anything. The pace had slowed noticeably by the midway mark of the round, with Lee leading, and De La Rosa countering with a fair amount of success.
Again, Lee was encouraged by her corner between rounds, this time to show De La Rosa’s striking no respect, and to hit her with a head kick if possible. In practice, however, Lee had to contend with De La Rosa fighting smart, catching her kicks, and in the third, landing a key takedown that saw her transition to the back. De La Rosa didn’t have her hooks in, but still wound up on top as Lee scrambled to the fence. Lee used wrist control to keep De La Rosa from advancing, but soon enough Montana had a hook in. More concerning, time was ticking away off the clock. A moment later and Lee was flattened out, eating punches. With under two minutes remaining, the fight was slipping away. Lee then managed to get to her feet and shake De La Rosa over the top, keeping herself in the fight! One minute, to decide a career. De La Rosa caught another body kick, but Lee was able to pull the leg free. Thirty seconds, and Lee likely needed a finish. Lee would try a jump knee, but it was Montana De La Rosa finishing with a takedown to secure the win.
Official Result: Montana De La Rosa def. Andrea Lee by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
