Horth opened the fight by pressuring the No. 14-ranked JJ Aldrich, walking her down behind a strong jab. It was clear Horth’s larger stature would prove critical in this one, as Aldrich was forced to fight off the back foot and look for counters.

Aldrich tried to open things up with a spinning attack, but it was Horth who took advantage of the American’s vulnerable position, landing a flurry of strikes in the biggest sequence of the round.

Falling behind in the striking exchanges, Aldrich made the smart decision to change levels with around two minutes left in the opening round. She succeeded in disrupting Horth’s rhythm, but she couldn’t bring her to the mat for a takedown. Once Horth broke free from Aldrich’s grip, the home fighter let her hands go again, closing the round with a sharp three-piece combination to the head.

After a fairly clear first round for Jamie-Lyn Horth, Aldrich came out more aggressive in the second, feinting her way into the center of the Octagon. Still, the speed difference continued to stand out. Even when Aldrich landed a clean one-two, Horth was quick to answer with a combination of her own.

Horth began mixing in roundhouse kicks to Aldrich’s head and body, showing off a deeper arsenal as her confidence continued to grow. Aldrich found a better read late in the round, standing her ground more often and trading volume as the second came to a close.

Round three demanded more urgency from Aldrich, with the general sense being that Horth was ahead 20-18. The American showed noticeable improvements, but Horth remained sharp on the feet and continued to push the action offensively. The two traded in the center of the Octagon with little regard for defense, capping off a competitive striking fight.

To most people’s surprise, it was JJ Aldrich who came away with the unanimous decision, earning three 29-28 scorecards. She retained her ranking and silenced the home crowd in Winnipeg.

Official Result: JJ Aldrich def. Jamey-Lyn Horth via Unanimous Decision (29-28×3)

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“KGB” Lee had lost five straight, all on the scorecards, with a couple ending in close split decisions. As for Aldrich, she was coming into the fight off a loss to Veronica Hardy, but had won two straight prior to that.

The opening minute of Lee vs. Aldrich was all about the kicks, with both women landing at various points. Mostly low kicks, and a few to the body that came up short. Lee soon found herself holding center, at least momentarily, putting a combination together. Aldrich worked a probing jab, and landed a crisp leg kick about 90 or so seconds in.

It was Aldrich changing levels and landing the first takedown of the fight just past two minutes into the round. Lee was able to quickly scramble to the fence and escape however, not giving Aldrich any time to work. “KGB” was looking a little sharper on the feet in the first half of the round, but that changed later, as a left hand from Aldrich sent her briefly to the canvas— as much a balance issue as a knockdown. Still, with the takedown threat in her back pocket, Aldrich had the edge in the round, and she was able to fend off a late takedown attempt by Lee.

Round two opened with Lee working her hands, then blocking a kick up high. Aldrich seemed to have a little more pop behind her shots, and many of Lees kicks (not to mention a good percentage of her punches) were hitting air. She was active, just not accurate. Aldrich was ahead in that department, and late in the round tied Lee up, though she wasn’t able to get the fight down.

Between rounds, Lee’s corner told her that she was showing Aldrich too much respect, and needed to go out and find the finish. Lee opened the round with a combination, then another, then fired a kick to the body. Aldrich split the guard with her left hand, giving herself some space. Near the midway mark of the final round, Lee grabbed a clinch, firing knees before Aldrich broke free. JJ later pinned Lee to the cage, but couldn’t make anything happen with the position. More boxing/kickboxing followed, before Lee, with just over 90 seconds remaining, shot in on a takedown. It landed, Aldrich nearly reversed, and a scramble led to them going back to the feet.

With her corner screaming “everything you’ve got, non-stop” Lee answered an Aldrich takedown with a guillotine. It was tight, but the finish wasn’t there; still, in a close round, it might have made an impression with the judges. Whether Lee might have won either of the first two rounds was an even bigger question, however. And one that was clearly answered by the judges, who gave JJ Aldrich the unanimous decision victory.

Official Result: JJ Aldrich def. Andrea Lee by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

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Hardy, a slight favorite, was looking to build off victories over TUF 30 winner Julianna Miller and Canadian standout Jamey-Lyn Horth, a pair of fights that had ended a three-year layoff for the Venezuelan.

With a bit of a feeling out process in the early going, the boo-birds were out within a minute as Aldrich vs. Hardy got underway. Both ladies took their time, looking to find their range; Hardy started out in an orthodox stance. Eventually they’d take things to the fence, working in the clinch with Hardy in control for a moment before Aldrich reversed. By the time they broke from that position, there was under a minute on the clock; Hardy fired a leg kick from well outside, then popped off a couple of combos that had Aldrich opting to close the distance.

Aldrich would finish out the round with blood trickling down alongside her nose and the side of her face, a good indication of who had taken the first frame.

Early in round two Aldrich slipped a punch and looked to clinch, but Hardy was able to quickly break free. A hook from Aldrich followed, but drew more of a reaction from fans than it did from Hardy. Hardy would go to the body, then head, with a trio of kicks that were rattled off in quick succession. Aldrich was having a better round, but Hardy’s power appeared to be the difference maker.

A clinch along the fence slowed the action, with Hardy looking to employ a whizzer to keep Aldrich from completing a takedown. When they came off the cage, Hardy’s corner called for elbows and body work; she complied with at least one elbow, while working her jab.

Hardy had a quick start to round three, going on the offensive. She landed to the legs with another kick, then went to the body, then leg again. Aldrich, not to be outdone, fired a spinning back kick to the midsection. Moments later, Aldrich had her biggest moment of the fight, knocking Hardy down- but Hardy went right after a triangle, really an inverted triangle. Aldrich would eventually pull free after eating a couple of punches, and wound up on top, in side control, then half-guard. Hardy was active off her back, but Aldrich returned to side mount. From there Aldrich had space to uncork some left hands. Hardy was in close against the fence after a bit of scrambling; they’d end up going the full 15, with Hardy taking the unanimous decision on the strength of her first two rounds.

Official Result: Veronica Hardy def. JJ Aldrich by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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Na was still in search of her first win in the promotion when she collided with the American fighter as part of the Fight Night event’s preliminary card. Na was also moving up in weight for the fight, after starting her UFC run at 115lbs.

Early on, Aldrich found some success on the feet, but when they went to the ground, it was Na on top. They didn’t stay down long; Aldrich scrambled up, but was taken down again. Na was looking to set up an arm-triangle choke, but Aldrich used a body lock and butterfly hooks to escape up and out. A left hand followed by a right hook landed for Aldrich, and this time, it was Aldrich taking the back after a Na takedown attempt backfired.

Aldrich would spend the rest of the round on top, but wasn’t able to make much happen, with Na defending well off her back.

Liang opened round two on the attack, then dropped for a well-timed takedown, quickly taking the back. Aldrich nearly gave up mount going to the back, but survived and wound up in north-south position. From there, Aldrich wound up in side control, kneeing the body. In time she moved to mount, looking to lock in an arm-triangle choke. While she didn’t have the submission, she was able to tie up Na’s arms and landing some nasty shots to the face. With ground n’ pound coming in spurts, it felt as if the end would come at any moment — and it did, just ahead of the end of the round!

Official Result: JJ Aldrich def. Liang Na by TKO (ground n’ pound), Round 2, 4:49

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The return to 125lbs for Brazil’s Lipski came after a failed excursion to bantamweight, where she came up short against Priscila Cachoeira. Aldrich, meanwhile, was coming off a loss to the surging Erin Blanchfield.

Lipski got her hands going early in the opening frame, putting together a combination inside of thirty seconds. She stayed mobile, circling outside, and answered with another combination as Aldrich lunged forward with a jab. In a clinch, Lipski landed a knee, and fired a shot off the break.

Aldrich then opted to pursue a takedown with about two minutes left in the round. But Lipski, who had been winning the round on the feet, fought that off. Another takedown inside the final minute was also stuffed, and again, Lipski fired knees in the ensuing clinch.

Right at the end of the round, Lipski tagged Aldrich, putting her on her heels as the horn sounded seconds later.

Round two opened up with a leg kick from Lipski, who circled, worked her jab then landed another kick. Aldrich finally got a combo off, but she was still being out-struck as Lipski went to the body, then back up top, mixing up her shot selection. Around the two minute mark, Lipski went upstairs with a kick that just missed — but that no doubt put Aldrich on notice. Lipski later flashed a front kick; that came up short, and Aldrich answered with her jab.

Coming together, both fights hit home in an exchange — but it was the “Violence Queen” landing the final, most significant strike. As if on cue, Aldrich shot for a takedown that was against stuffed. A combination by Lipski was followed by another high kick; again Aldrich shot the takedown to no avail. Out-worked and outgunned on the feet, the wrestling simply was not there for JJ Aldrich through the opening two rounds.

🇧🇷 @Ariane_Lipski finding her rhythm heading into the 3rd #UFCLasVegas live now on @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/Hh4u5xS45c

— UFC (@ufc) March 11, 2023

The third round almost certainly had Ariane Lipski up on the scorecards, leaving Aldrich in need of a finish. That was going to be tricky, given she’d had no answer for the Brazilian on the feet for ten minutes, and had been unable to get the fight down. Aldrich did press forward at her corner’s urging, but Lipski was controlling the distance and winning the exchanges when they did come together.

Aldrich finally got her hands clasped on a takedown attempt with two minutes remaining, taking Lipski to a knee — but she was unable to complete the attempt. Instead, she drove Lipski into the fence, firing a well-placed knee to the head while they battled for position. But Lipski got off the fence, reversed, and briefly had Aldrich against the cage. They separated, giving Aldrich 30 seconds or so to make something happen. She couldn’t, and Lipski cruised to a much-needed decision win punctuated with a final takedown at the horn.

Official Result: Ariane Lipski def. JJ Aldrich by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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Having moved past fellow prospect Miranda Maverick in her last outing, Blanchfield was booked opposite surging Colorado native JJ Aldrich.

Aldrich had won three straight coming into the night, and would find some success early on against Blanchfield.

Round one began with Aldrich working a jab-heavy attack popping out the right hand at piston speed. Blanchfield was unable to secure takedowns on three attempts, but Aldrich scored one of her own. With the crisp jab attack Aldrich was able to let loose with some combinations and likely put Blanchfield down a round.

Round two saw Blanchfield come out like a bat out of hell, landing combinations and jabs and forcing Aldrich into a takedown. Blanchfield was able to get back to her feet and then dropped Aldrich with a shot. Aldrich survived and got back to her feet, but Blanchfield got a hold of her neck and wrapped up a standing guillotine. She ended the fight with the standing sub, completing an impressive comeback.

Official Result: Erin Blanchfield def. JJ Aldrich by submission (guillotine), Round 2, 2:38

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MMA Fighting was first to report the news that No. 15 ranked flyweight Erin Blanchfield will fight JJ Aldrich on June 4 at a yet-to-be-announced UFC event. A source close to the situation confirmed the fight to Cageside Press.

Blanchfield (8-1) has been perfect thus far in her UFC career. She went 2-0 in 2021 with two great performances. In her UFC debut, she beat down Sarah Alpar to win a unanimous decision, and then she ended her year dominating fellow young prospect Miranda Maverick at UFC 269. Blanchfield is riding a five-fight win streak, with her only defeat being a screwy split decision loss to Tracy Cortez.

When they fight in June, JJ Aldrich (11-4) will be looking to get revenge for her teammate, Maverick. The 29-year old has put together a three-fight win streak with wins over Cortney Casey, Vanessa Demopoulos, and most recently, Gillian Robertson, at UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev. With a win over Blanchfield, Aldrich could potentially snag the No. 15 ranking in the weight class.

The UFC’s June 4, 2022 event does not yet have an official location, venue, or broadcast plan announced. The card currently looks like this:

• Dan Ige vs. Movsar Evloev
• Poliana Botelho vs. Karine Silva
• Zhalgas Zhumagulov vs. Jeff Molina
• Zarrukh Adashev vs. Ode’ Osbourne
• Cynthia Calvillo vs. TBD
• Andreas Michailidis vs. Rinat Fakhretdinov
• Joaquin Buckley vs. Abusupiyan Magomedov
• Erin Blanchfield vs. JJ Aldrich

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Robertson wasn’t who Aldrich had expected to see Saturday, but MMA is a fluid sport, and opponent changes happen as often as they don’t, it seems. When original opponent Ariane Lipski dropped out, Robertson stepped in just a few weeks out.

Following the fight, Aldrich (11-4) touched on adjusting following the opponent switch.

“We’ve just been trying to just get better with everything, so it wasn’t too hard, it wasn’t too much work. I wasn’t frazzled as bad as maybe I could have been, but my last opponent fell out last minute, and I didn’t want to be frazzled again,” Aldrich told media outlets including Cageside Press. “So this camp, I wanted to make sure I was going in there, all camp just being the best me I could be. So we were ready for it.”

As ready as she was, “it was a very big stylistic switch-up,” Aldrich added. “Ariane [Lipski] was a striker, and she’s [Gillian Robertson] obviously a really good jiu-jitsu girl. I was confident going in, but it was very different that what we were preparing for.”

Following the win, Aldrich’s immediate plan was simply to watch the rest of the fights, and in terms of what’s next, she’ll be ready to go whenever matchmaker Mitch Maynard calls. Whether it’s Lipski or not. “I don’t even really know her injury, so I don’t know how long it’s going to take her to heal up. I don’t really plan on waiting for her either. So if she’s ready to go, I’m ready to go, if not, whoever is next, I’m ready to break into the top 15. I know Erin Blanchfield’s up there, she just got a new 15 number next to her name, so I think that’d be a great fight for me.”

Watch the full UFC Vegas 50 post-fight media scrum with JJ Aldrich above.

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Robertson, entering off a submission of Priscila Cachoeira, had jumped into the fight just a few weeks out. Aldrich for her part had won her last two, going the distance on both occasions.

Robertson had her kicks going early in Vegas on Saturday, as the flyweight pair worked to find their range. Aldrich came close to catching one of those kicks, but couldn’t hold on to it. Instead, Robertson backed off, and stayed patient, not trying to force anything. She finally shot for a single leg, but was too far out. Back on the feet, Robertson landed an outside leg kick; Aldrich connected with her left hand.

Just as things were picking up, the ref called time, as both fighters had pawed at the other’s face, with Robertson’s fingers grazing Aldrich’s eye. Both fighters were warned, and the fight resumed. Aldrich stayed outside, with Robertson firing front kicks; a Robertson combo caused Aldrich to stumble, but she appeared more off-balance than hurt. In the final minute, Robertson caught a leg, a much better attempt at a takedown, but she couldn’t land it. Right at the end of the round, Aldrich landed her own takedown in response to a Robertson kick.

In the second, it took some time, but Robertson finally grabbed a leg, stayed on it, then simply dragged Aldrich down. That gave Robertson the back, but Aldrich reversed, leaving the Canadian to work from guard. Aldrich tried some ground n’ pound and even a shoulder strike before allowing Robertson back to her feet. Robertson shot, Aldrich sprawled, stuffing another takedown. At the end of the round, Robertson caught a sharp kick, then ate a few hammer fists for her efforts.

Heading into the third, there was a very high certainty that Robertson would need a finish. Already holding the finish and submissions record for the division, that was still very possible. Robertson pressed forward, continuing to throw kicks behind her combos. But when the pair clinched, Aldrich reversed, putting Roberston’s back to the fence. They wouldn’t stay there long, but time was absolutely becoming a factor for Robertson. In the final minute, she pulled guard, looking for a Hail Mary submission, but Aldrich settled into guard.

After the full fifteen minutes, there wasn’t much of a question for the judges. Not a high action fight, but Aldrich had controlled on the feet, fought off the takedowns, and had the edge in control time.

Official Result: JJ Aldrich def. Gillian Robertson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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The Canadian flyweight confirmed Wednesday that she will step up on short notice to replace Ariane Lipski at the UFC’s March 12, 2022 Fight Night show. Robertson (10-6) will face off with JJ Aldrich (10-4) at the event.

News of the booking was first reported by Fight Bananas.

Robertson most recently competed at UFC 269 in December, submitting Priscila Cachoeira with a rear-naked choke in the final second of the opening round. The win snapped a two-fight losing streak — the first of Robertson’s career.

Following the bout, a minor controversy arose, as it appeared Cachoeira had been attempting to gouge Robertson’s eye.

The Canadian fighter holds the UFC women’s flyweight record for most fights, most submission wins, and most finishes. She also holds the overall women’s record for most submission wins.

Aldrich has won her last two fights, with both bouts going the distance. In August 2021, in her most recent contest, she went the distance with Vanessa Demopoulos, winning a unanimous decision.

The UFC’s March 12, 2022 event will take place at the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. A light heavyweight showdown tops the card, with Brazil’s Thiago Santos taking on surging Russian Magomed Ankalaev. The following bouts have been reported for the date thus far:

• Thiago Santos vs. Magomed Ankalaev
• Marlon Moraes vs. Song Yadong
• Alex Pereira vs. Bruno Silva
• Matthew Semelsberger vs. A.J. Fletcher
• Guido Cannetti vs. Kris Moutinho
• Trevin Jones vs. Javid Basharat
• Damon Jackson vs. Kamuela Kirk
• Dalcha Lungiambula vs. Cody Brundage
• Sabina Mazo vs. Mandy Bohm
• Alex Caceres vs. Sodiq Yusuff
• Tafon Nchukwi vs. Azamat Murzakanov
• Ricky Glenn vs. Drew Dober
• Khalil Rountree Jr. vs. Karl Roberson
• JJ Aldrich vs. Gillian Robertson

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