Women’s flyweights Veronica Hardy and Brogan Walker kicked off Saturday’s UFC 320 preliminary card in Las Vegas.
Hardy had seen a three-fight win streak snapped by Eduarda Moura in her last outing; Walker was 0-2 in the UFC after joining off a stint in Invicta FC.
Roughly a minute in, Hardy had the fight down, working from inside Walker’s guard, the pair planted in the center of the octagon. Walker kept her guard closed at times, with Hardy close to her. Coming back up, Hardy fired off some heavy artillery, grazing her opponent with a head kick. Then, at the end of the round, Hardy trapped Walker in an arm-bar along the fence. Walker had been firing hammer fists when Hardy trapped her, rolling over and going belly down.
While Hardy would complain after the horn that Walker had tapped, replays didn’t show it, with cageside officials reviewing footage between rounds.
In the second, Hardy worked from the outside, showing superior movement in comparison to Walker, who while not flat-footed was considerably less fluid in her motion. Hardy fired off a a left, right, and a kick to put Walker on the back foot about two minutes in. Hardy’s leg kicks started piling up in the second round, forcing Walker to switch stances. Walker would finally get some offense in towards the end of the frame, punching inside, catching a kick, and landing a takedown. Unfortunately for Walker, the horn blared then and there, ending the round before she could take advantage of the position.
Brogan Walker continued to get out-worked on the feet early in round three, and for the bulk of the round was trailing. Then, with all of 90 seconds remaining, a key takedown landed for Walker. She took the back, and soon had Hardy at least partially flattened out. Walker wound up on top, trying in vain to isolate an arm. Hardy, meanwhile, was simply defending, knowing that she likely had the fight in the bag. The clock ran out, with little question that Hardy had done enough to win.
Official Result: Veronica Hardy def. Brogan Walker by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
