Fatima Kline vs. Victoria Dudakova would have been the first UFC fight of 2025, were it not for a little shuffling of the deck at UFC Vegas 101.
Instead, the strawweight pair would have to settle for going second, in a fight that found both ladies looking to bounce back from recent losses.
Dudakova opened the fight holding center, with Kline circling outside and the pair trading kicks. Less than 30 seconds in, Dudakova closed the distance, changing levels for a takedown attempt that Kline deftly defended. Kline got back to center, but Dudakova was undeterred and landed the first takedown of the fight on her second attempt. That led to some fun transitions from the Russian after Kline attacked a leg, resulting in Dudakova threatening to take the back before falling off the top.
Off her back, Dudakova briefly attacked with an arm-bar, but didn’t have it. Instead, Dudakova worked at taking the back; somewhere in the sequence, Victoria’s nose had been bloodied. And instead of her taking the back, it was Kline managing to turn the tables and get on top. She’d finish out the round there, doing a bit of damage and despite a slow start, finishing in a dominant position.
Victoria Dudakova opened round two with a takedown attempt. Kline, however, got her foot in the way, landed a trip, and the pair wound up in a scramble with Fatima Kline coming out on top. When Dudakova tried to escape, Kline stayed on her. She moved to half-guard, then mount, with three minutes and change still on the clock.
Albeit in a dicey spot, Victoria Dudakova was able to escape to her feet. When she went back in on a takedown, however, it was a case of deja vu: Kline landed a trip, they went down in a heap, and a scramble saw Kline come out on top. She would get to side control, dropping some smashing elbows. Despite the ref urging Dudakova to fight, she couldn’t and Fatima Kline had the TKO finish!
Fatima Kline gives us our first UFC finish of 2025 😤 #UFCVegas101 pic.twitter.com/nsFa5MRztz
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 11, 2025
Official Result: Fatima Kline def. Victoria Dudakova by TKO (elbows), Round 2, 4:27
