Ranked women’s bantamweights Karol Rosa and Luana Santos looked to build on recent success when they faced off as part of the UFC Vegas 119 prelims in Saturday.
A fight that saw the Brazilian pair get right to work had Santos crashing forward to close the distance, putting Rosa against the fence. Rosa answered with some short punches, while Santos fired knees, and tried to execute a throw, only to have to back off of it. The positional battle continued, with Santos refusing to give up on the takedown attempts.
They’d finally move back to center, no takedown to be found, with Rosa circling outside and Rosa holding center. Rosa seemed just a little flat-footed, or at least a step slower than Santos. For her part Santos stepped forward, and fired an overhand right that landed. A moment later, another two-punch combination found the mark for Luana. In the final minute, she’d land the takedown she’d started the round looking for, out in the open rather than in a clinch. Santos wound up in side control, firing punches while Rosa tried to answer off her back.
Rosa wound up on her back with Santos in her guard about 30 seconds into round two. Not a great place to be. Santos looked to land punches from above, then got tight on top, looking to pass a leg through Rosa’s guard. When she couldn’t pass, Santos landed punches to the body, and stayed active enough on top in a dominant position to prevent any standup. Rosa was getting well acquainted with the octagon canvas, meanwhile, in a round that saw her controlled almost from start to finish.
Heading into round three, it was almost certainly 20-18 Santos, with Rosa needing a finish if she wanted to come away with the win.
Luana Santos, however, had other ideas. She was all over Rosa in the clinch through the opening 90 seconds, controlling her opponent along the fence. Rosa might have drawn some motivation from the fact that she was able to fend off the takedown early, but that was easily negated by the fact that she was still being thoroughly controlled, with Santos essentially glued to her back. With a bodylock in place, Santos was simply not letting go. By the end of the round, she had the fight back down, taking the back and getting the hooks in. Not enough time to find a submission, but easily enough to secure a clear-cut decision win.
The victory moves Santos to 6-1 inside the octagon, 11-2 overall. Fired up after the win, Santos has now won three straight.
Official Result: Luana Santos def. Karol Rosa by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
