Perez had been booked against Hailey Cowan earlier in the year, only for the fight to be cancelled after both ladies had already hit the scales. That meant Perez had been on the shelf since September, when she lost her promotional debut against Stephanie Egger.

After a wee bit of feeling out in the card’s opening fight on Saturday, it was Perez popping off a three-strike combo, landing a couple. She then took the fight down, going straight to side control; Evans-Smith briefly got to her knees, but nearly gave up her back in the process. Evans-Smith would regain half-guard, and work to the fence, where she was warned to keep her toes out of the cage.

With Evans-Smith covering up along the fence, Perez then unloaded a storm of hammer fists — though a couple appeared to hit the back of the head, drawing a warning from the ref. Though it looked dicey, Ashlee made it back up — only for Perez to take her make down. This time, Perez moved to mount, dropping some smashing elbows while Evans-Smith used the fence to rotate around, briefly getting back up. Perez went back in on a takedown, which Evans-Smith defending with a guillotine; when she did make it up Ashlee was forced to contend with some head-hunting from the Argentinian.

Thoroughly dominated in the opening round, Evans-Smith at least survived the first five minutes. But early on in the second, Perez fired a kick to the body, and clinched the body to land a takedown. Evans-Smith made it back up, but was dragged down again, with Perez on her back. Up again, and finally Evans-Smith reversed on the fence, but in an exchange, it was Perez with the edge, before landing a trip for yet another takedown.

Perez again worked her way to side control, and nearly took the back, only for Evans-Smith to scramble up. Perez fired a knee, put on a body lock, and tried to force Evans-Smith back down. This time, she couldn’t do it, and Evans-Smith finished the round on the feet, walking down Perez despite having lost the first two frames.

Round three saw Perez taking the fight to the fence, clinching up and hunting a takedown. It took a bit, but the trip was there and Evans-Smith was soon flat on her back. Perez had tired, having exerted a whole lot of energy throughout the fight on wrestling, but she still managed to briefly get a crucifix, piling on punches.

Evans-Smith was too tough to go away easy, and when Perez moved to mount, she rolled free. Perez landed another knee as they came up, however. And another takedown would come in the final two minutes. “Rebel Girl” never really got out of first gear in the fight, with Ailin Perez setting a women’s bantamweight takedown record in the fight with ten completed takedowns by the end.

Official Result: Ailin Perez def. Ashlee Evans-Smith by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-26)

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Evans-Smith (6-5), who has not competed since a November 2020 loss to Norma Dumont, tested positive in January for “an anabolic androgenic steroid of exogenous origin,” per a press release issued Monday. According to USADA (U.S. Anti-Doping Agency) officials, the 34-year old declared use of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on the paperwork she submitted in conjunction with the drug test samples she provided on January 3 and January 27, 2022.

While initially looking at a stiffer sanction, Evans-Smith will instead serve 14 months, dating back to January 3, 2022. “During an investigation into the circumstances of the case, Evans-Smith provided evidence, including medical records, indicating that a physician incorrectly prescribed DHEA to her,” Monday’s press release stated. “As such, USADA determined that Evans-Smith’s degree of fault was diminished and that she should receive a reduced period of ineligibility. She also received a reduction for her Full and Complete Cooperation.”

In 2015, Evans-Smith was suspended for nine months after failing a post-fight drug test, for use of a diuretic. She was also fined 30% of her purse from a loss against Raquel Pennington at UFC 181.

Currently, Ashlee Evans-Smith does not have any fights announced, and has not been part of any reported match-ups since the loss to Dumont. Her last win came in 2018 when she captured a unanimous decision against Bec Rawlings in a flyweight bout. Of late, she has been promoting her own OnlyFans style website, AshleeRebelGirl.

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Among those is main card fighter Parker Porter who, along with Josh Parisian, broke the record for heavyweight strikes landed in a three-round bout. So maybe it’s not surprising that at least one of those punches landed appeared to do some damage to the left hand of Porter, who will need that looked at and cleared before he can come back.

Others facing the same sort of suspension are Bill Algeo (who won a one-sided decision over Spike Carlyle), Norma Dumont and Ashlee Evans-Smith (who fought one another), and Rachael Ostovich (who was defeated in the third round by Gina Mazany).

Jonathan Pearce will also be looking for clearance via x-ray before he can step back in. However, it is the right foot of Pearce that needs to be looked at to avoid the six months off.

Full list of UFC Vegas 15 medical suspensions:

Takashi Sato – 180 days or until cleared by oral maxillary facial surgeon
Parker Porter – 180 days or until cleared by left hand x-ray
Josh Parisian – 60 days
Bill Algeo – 180 days or until cleared by left hand x-ray
Spike Carlyle – 30 days
Norma Dumont – 180 days or until cleared by right hand x-ray
Ashlee Evans-Smith – 180 days or until cleared by left hand x-ray
Jonathan Pearce – 180 days or until cleared by right foot x-ray
Kai Kamaka – 45 days
Gina Mazany – 15 days
Rachael Ostovich – 180 days or until cleared by right hand x-ray
Malcolm Gordon – 60 days
Luke Sanders – 30 days

Suspensions originally reported by Kirik Jenness.

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Well, she mostly returned to the bantamweight division. After opponent Norma Doubmont, who last fought at featherweight, missed weight, the pair’s UFC Vegas 15 showdown was moved to a 139.5lb catchweight.

Evans-Smith was the favorite entering the fight, despite a layoff of nearly two years. She held center early, looking to close the distance and get her hands on Brazil’s Dumont. Norma Dumont, however, had some dangerous kicks and counters that forced Evans-Smith to halt her momentum more than once. And when Dumont came forward, her right hand looked nasty. Late in the round they’d clinch, with Evans-Smith getting a body lock with double underhooks. But Dumont was too strong and instead landed a takedown of her own at round’s end.

The second found the pair scrambling on the ground after a throw. A second trip to the ground found Dumont in side control, then on the back. Evans-Smith was active on bottom but Dumont was able to transition to mount. From there, she was able to land a few big elbows and eat up a healthy amount of clock. Evans-Smith did power up, but was looking worse for the wear, and ate a left hand back on the feet. The American would find some success at the end of the frame, however.

Round three found Evans-Smith in need of a finish. To do that, she’d need to stay off her back. In that regard, she was successful. But on the feet, she was trailing, and it was Dumont’s combinations landing hard. The Brazilian seemed to be conserving her energy, not going after the finish to the final minute, scoring a knockdown. Evans-Smith was rocked, and just barely hung on to the final bell.

Official Result: Norma Dumont def. Ashley Evans-Smith by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)

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Next year’s UFC London card will once again feature England’s own Molly McCann. As first reported by Fighters Only reporter Jim Edwards, McCann (10-2) will take on Ashlee Evans-Smith (6-4) at the Fight Night event this March. The bout will be contested at flyweight.

McCann also appeared at the UFC’s 2019 trip to London. ‘Meatball’ picked up a win over Priscila Cachoeira that night, the first of her current three fight streak. She’s subsequently put together victories over Ariane Lipski and Diana Belbiţă. Overall, she’s 3-1 in the big show, after losing her promotional debut to Gillian Robertson.

Evans-Smith, meanwhile, was defeated by KGB Lee in her most recent trip to the octagon. That loss came at UFC on ESPN 1 in February, meaning it will have been over a year between contests for the former bantamweight. Consistency has been a killer for Evans-Smith, as she fought just once in both 2018 and 2019.

While a number of fights have been rumored for UFC London, including Robert Whittaker vs. Darren Till and Leon Edwards vs. Tyron Woodley, the UFC has yet to officially announce any bouts for the March event. Taking place at the O2 Arena, the card will go down March 21, 2020, airing on ESPN+.

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UFC Montevideo is just getting its first batch of matches announced. Earlier today, it was reported by Combate that women’s flyweight contenders Ashlee Evans-Smith and Taila Santos were added to the card. The fight takes place on August 10 in Montevideo, Uruguay. There is no venue for the card in place at this moment.

Evans-Smith is coming off of a unanimous decision loss to Andrea “KGB” Lee in January. Ashlee Evans-Smith was originally scheduled to face off with Lauren Murphy before Murphy was forced out of the fight with an injury. Evans-Smith’s last win was over Bec Rawlings in April of last year. She was slated to face off with Antonina Shevchenko at The Ultimate Fighter 28 Finale before pulling out the fight with an injury of her own. Evans-Smith is looking to end the tough run of injuries that’s plagued either her or her opponent in her previous year with a win at UFC Montevideo.

Taila Santos, on the other hand, is the hot young prospect coming in from Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. While her promotional debut didn’t go her way, Santos is still 15-1 with nine finishes. She will be looking to notch her first win in the world’s biggest mixed martial arts promotion and begin her path to facing the current champ, Valentina Shevchenko.

UFC Montevideo isn’t near finished being put together yet. The only other announced bout on the card is a flyweight bout between Raulian Paiva and Rogerio Bontorin. Being a flyweight bout, the division has been receiving cuts from the promotion lately. Currently, there are 12 flyweights on the roster, not enough to fill out the top 15. UFC Montevideo will undoubtedly have more fights added to it. Stay posted to Cageside Press for all the latest fight announcements regarding the card.

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Ashlee Evans-Smith comes into UFC Phoenix ranked 11th in the flyweight division with a UFC record of 3-3. After losing to Ketlan Vieira and Sarah Moras at strawweight, the 31-year-old made her flyweight debut the right way with a decision victory over Bec Rawlings in April. She is coming off an injury that kept her from fighting Antonina Shevchenko in November.

Andrea Lee has replaced Lauren Murphy on short notice after the latter pulled out of her scheduled bout with Evans-Smith. At 9-2 in her career, “KGB” was the LFA flyweight champion before defeating Veronica Macedo in her UFC debut in May. She is currently ranked 13th in the flyweight division and was unable to fight Jessica-Rose Clark in December due to her opponent’s weight cutting issues.

Key in round one of this flyweight battle was the jab game of Andrea Lee, and, of course, her kicks. Outside leg kicks, body kicks. Evans-Smith would attempt to answer with some of her own, but Lee had the edge, especially combinated with her hands. Ashlee Evans-Smith would manage to get Lee down with a trip, but couldn’t keep her down, and Lee easily took the first round.

In the second round, Ashlee Evans-Smith adjusted, and focused on her grappling game. A takedown attempt was fought off, but she would score on in the round. In the final ninety seconds, KGB Lee regained her feet, keeping in there, and would carry that into the final frame.

A lead uppercut broke throught the guard of Evans-Smith early in the third. She’d answer back, but Lee was driving forward, throwing combinations punctuated with leg kicks. That was forcing Evans-Smith onto her heels, eliminating or at least greatly lowering her chances of a takedown. Evans-Smith had he nose bloodied, and had slowed noticably; Lee was getting the better of the exchanges, and was soon imposing her will even on the grappling side, where Evans-Smith had the edge earlier in the fight. KGB Lee’s output throughout three rounds was the difference as the fight ended in a unanimous decision win for Lee.

Andrea Lee def. Ashlee Evans-Smith by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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The other Shevchenko sister has her UFC debut set. Antonina Shevchenko, who won her way into the UFC as part of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series, will make her promotional debut at the Ultimate Fighter 28 Finale later this year. Going down in Las Vegas as usual, she’ll face Ashlee Evans-Smith at the event. ESPN’s Ariel Helwani was first to report the match-up.

Antonina’s sister Valentina is fighting for flyweight gold this weekend at UFC 228, which is no doubt behind the timing of the news. The duo are the first sisters to fight in the UFC, which has had a history of brothers appearing in the octagon, from the Diaz brothers to the Ellenbergers and so on.

Antonina Shevchenko (6-0) defeated Jaymee Nievara on the Contender Series in June, securing her spot in the UFC in the process. Historically a bantamweight, she dropped to flyweight for that contest. Should sister Valentina capture the 125lb title, it will be interesting to see which division Antonina opts to compete in. The Evans-Smith fight will be contested at flyweight.

Ashlee Evans-Smith (6-3), for her part, will enter the fight off a win over Bec Rawlings at UFC 223 in April. That fight marked her flyweight debut, and snapped a two-fight skid at bantamweight.

The Ultimate Fighter 28 Finale takes place November 30 at the Pearl Theatre at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, NV.

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In flyweight action at UFC 223 on Saturday in Brooklyn, Australia’s Bec Rawlings looked to get things back on track against the always game Ashlee Evans-Smith. Rawlings had lost three straight coming into the night, and was in danger of being cut from the promotion after moving up to 125lbs after struggles at strawweight. Evans-Smith, meanwhile, had lost two straight, most recently to Canada’s Sarah Moras at UFC 215.

With Bec Rawlings turning down her opponent off the opening glove touch, there was a feeling Rawlings vs. Evans-Smith could get a little nasty. It was Evans-Smith holding center early, with Rawlings circling on the outside. Evans-Smith had both the size and power advantage, unloading on Bec early. Kicks to the body, right hands, uppercuts in the clinch, Evans-Smith poured it on early. Bec came back with a knee in the clinch but really had very little offense in the first half of round one. A spinning back kick, though telegraphed, connected for Evans-Smith, though Rawlings finally began to catch her foe off the end of her punches. That said, round one belonged to Ashlee Evans-Smith. The icing on the cake came in a late takedown.

In the second, Rawlings began to rely more on her leg kicks, which were soon having an effect on her opponent. Evans-Smith still displayed the power advantage, and was backing Bec Rawlings up. Body kicks did further damage to Bec, as did kicks to the thigh; the Australian was soon showing considerable redness in the way of welts. Another slow spinning heel kick landed for Evans-Smith. In the final two minutes the pair began to unload, with Ashlee Evans-Smith leading the way. Both women were showing damage; Evans-Smith landed a crisp uppercut while Bec looked to land her right hand. Evans-Smith landed a spinning back fist in the final minute, then launched a sloppy takedown and paid for it when Rawlings fired off a knee. Still, the pair headed for the third and final frame.

The third round was a contrast in approaches: Ashlee Evans-Smith continued to throw volume. Bec Rawlings was throwing single strikes, mostly her right hand. The difference in output was clearly showing. The third was no doubt the best round for Bec, however, with her counter right finding a home more and more frequently. Evans-Smith began working her angles better, moving out of harm’s way after firing each combo. The pair would go the distance. Unsurprisingly, it was Evans-Smith with her hand raised.

Ashlee Evans-Smith def. Bec Rawlings by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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A pair of women’s MMA bouts were announced over the weekend, as the UFC focused on the action from UFC Fight Night 125 in Belem. First up, Ashlee-Evans Smith will move to flyweight to take on Bec Rawlings at UFC 223. That news was first reported by Newsday. The card goes down in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center on April 7.

Bec Rawlings (7–7) has lost three in a row in the UFC, and is 2-4 in the promotion overall. At UFC Sydney in November last time out, she ended up on the wrong end of a split decision against Jessica-Rose Clark. Tecia Torres and Paige VanZant have also captured wins over her during that slump.

Ashlee-Evans Smith (5-3) has lost two straight, meanwhile. She was submitted by a returning Sarah Moras within a round at UFC 215 in September.

Aside from the UFC 223 addition, the UFC announced during the UFC Belem broadcast that Aspen Ladd (6-0), fresh off her debut win at UFC Gdansk over Lina Länsberg, had been booked to face Leslie Smith in Atlantic City. That card, UFC Fight Night 128, takes place April 21.

Ladd fought her entire career as a professional in Invicta FC before moving to the UFC last year. Smith (10-7-1), for her part, has earned a two-fight win streak since being finished by Cris Cyborg at UFC 198. She finished Amanda Lemos last time out.

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