Now in her fifth year with the UFC, Sam Hughes had been trading wins and losses of late and was looking to make it two in a row against Contender Series alum Stephanie Luciano at UFC Vegas 104.
Luciano had fought to a draw on DWCS opposite Talita Alencar, then won the rematch in her octagon debut last August.
The exchanges came relatively quickly in the opening minute and a half, but after 90 seconds Hughes changed up the pace, catching a kick and dumping Luciano on her back. Hughes got on top but couldn’t keep Luciano down; they were soon back on their feet, battling for position along the fence. A reversal of position and Hughes was back in control for a moment before they moved back to center, where Luciano had a bit of an edge. Hughes did land a low kick, and was happy to press forward; she briefly caught another kick with about two minutes on the clock. A Hughes takedown followed, but Luciano immediately reversed and popped back up. They’d finish a competitive round on the feet.
Round two opened with another quick start, both girls firing, but Luciano getting the better of the exchanges. She added a solid side kick to the midsection, and though Hughes continued to move forward, her face was starting to show some damage. That said, Hughes still found a home for her right hand and a moment later drove into a takedown, landing it with Luciano sitting against the fence. Hughes did a great job moving to full mount, landing a smashing elbow and forcing Luciano to go belly down. Hughes looked to get under the neck, and while her hooks weren’t fully in the choke was in tight.
Luciano tried to fence walk, with the ref swatting at her feet to keep her toes from gripping the cage. Lucaino wound up on her back, free of the choke, but with Hughes still mounted high up on her chest. A round that had started strong for Stephanie Luciano had been stolen back by Sam Hughes, who again went after a choke when Luciano gave up her back. Too high up for the choke, “Sampage” settled for landing ground n’ pound including about a dozen or so unanswered elbows.
Early in the third it was Luciano defending a takedown then getting one of her own, though not for long. Hughes made it back up, using the fence to support her for a bit before they went back to center. The fight was still very much up for grabs as Hughes and Luciano exchanged fire. A late takedown attempt by Hughes was stuffed, not for the first time in the round either. Instead she was forced to continue to march forward, with Luciano doing a solid job catching her on the way in as a result.
An emotional Sam Hughes paid tribute to Fortis MMA head coach Sayif Saud after the fight, with the victory representing his 100th win as a coach.
Official result: Sam Hughes def. Stephanie Luciano by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-27)
