Thailand’s Loma Lookboonmee, a former Muay Thai champ and winner of three straight fights, faced off with ONE Championship alum Istela Nunes at UFC Vegas 105 on Saturday.
The strawweight fight found Nunes at 0-4 in the promotion, a rather surprising number considering she’d be kept around for a fifth out, one that was almost certainly do or die.
An exchange of kicks opened up Saturday’s strawweight affair, or “kicked it off,” pardon the pun. Lookboonmee looked sharper there, but Nunes was no slouch either. And about two minutes in, Nunes caught a kick and threatened to dump the Thai fighter. Lookboonmee stayed upright; seconds later, the fight was halted for an eye poked endured by Nunes.
The back half of the round continued to be competitive, with both fighters throwing hard. Surprisingly it was Lookboonmee initiating a takedown, which backfired as she went to the ground first, pulling Nunes down on top of her. Nunes mount up on top, threatening to pass to mount as a result, though Lookboonmee would regain guard.
Round two saw the fight move into grinding territory along the fence, with Istela Nunes putting her weight on Lookboonmee, controlling her. Lookboonmee stayed on her feet as Nunes sought out a takedown, with the Brazilian being warned more than once for having her fingers in the fence. When they did hit the mat, it was Lookboonmee on top, though Nunes had soon locked up a leg, looking for a heel hook.
The opening minute of round three was another battling along the fence, with Lookboonmee landing a takedown, settling down into Nunes’ guard. The rest of the round would play out there, with Lookboonmee in the driver’s seat, but little in the way of action unfolding. When the scores were read, all three judges had it for Lookboonmee, leaving Istela Nunes looking incredulous and exclaiming “what?!?” before exiting the cage.
Lookboonmee said following the win that she hoped to stay active in 2025 after missing most of last year due to a broken hand that required surgery.
Official Result: Loma Lookboonmee def. Istela Nunes by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
