A massively marketable female being halted by the more technical fighter… Sound familiar?
The UFC saw another one of their most popular females suffer a crushing defeat as the monster UFC weekend got underway on Thursday night.
In the main event of UFC Fight Night 80, Rose Namajunas beat Paige VanZant in all areas to secure a fifth-round submission victory.
Many, myself included, believed that this would be the point where VanZant’s hype train would come off the track and it did so in spectacular circumstances as Namajunas put on an almost perfect exhibition.
VanZant’s naivety was clear to see with her insistence on pursuing her favoured head-and-arm throw but Namajunas remained disciplined throughout.
Thug busted VanZant open early on in the first five round fight of both fighters’ careers before almost finishing a number of times.
A deep rear naked choke and two gruesome armbars weren’t enough to warrant the tap from VanZant in the third and fourth rounds as the Alpha Male fighter showed her typical grittiness but a comeback never looked on the cards.
Just as the Las Vegas crowd was beginning to believe that VanZant simply didn’t know how to tap out, Namajunas sunk in an even deeper RNC midway through the final round and forced an end to the contest.
The TUF 22 finale and UFC 194 sure have a hell of a lot to live up to.
