Two women rising up the ranks in the strawweight division, Jaqueline Amorim and Vanessa Demopoulos, fought to extend their respective win streaks to three at UFC Vegas 97 on Saturday night.
Amorim (8-1) came into the fight on a two-fight win streak with victories over Montserrat Conejo and Cory McKenna. The Brazilian strawweight hoped to build momentum with a win at UFC Vegas 97.
Demopoulos (11-5) was coming off a tough split-decision victory over Emily Ducote in May, and a decision win over Kanako Murata last October. With a bit more UFC experience than her opponent she could have been on the verge of something big with an impressive victory.
What played out on Saturday included just a little bit of controversy in the end. Amorim opened the action with a kick, then fanned on a second one. Demopoulos fired one of her own, but it was caught, leading to the first takedown of the fight. Demopoulos, on her back, looked to push off the fence, but Amorim’s defensive grappling was on point, and she repositioned the pair, out at center.
That allowed Amorim to posture up and land a few punches, before working her way to mount, or close to it, before Demopoulos managed to trap a leg. Vanessa tried to reverse, however, and gave up her back in the process. Demopoulos then began complaining that Amorim’s hands were in her gloves, but despite that, Amorim transitioned to an arm-bar and soon forced the tap! No review, and the result stood with Amorim announced the winner.
Official Result: Jaqueline Amorim def. Vanessa Demopoulos by submission (arm-bar), Round 1, 3:28
