Virna Jandiroba was several levels above Tabatha Ricci in the grappling department at UFC Fight Night 272.
After falling short of the vacant strawweight title vs. Mackenzie Dern in October, Jandiroba (23-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) bounced back with a largely one-sided performance against Ricci (12-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) in Saturday’s co-headliner at Meta APEX in Las Vegas.
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In the end, it was a unanimous decision triumph for Jandiroba by scores of 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.
Wrestling was the key to victory in the all-Brazilian affair. Jandiroba was able to take Ricci down and keep her there for the majority of the opening 10 minutes. She even landed a hard shot that took Ricci off balance in the second round during a brief period on the feet.
When it was clear that Ricci needed a big shift in momentum late, she tried her best to land something big in Round 3. Jandiroba gave her the opportunity by spending most of the round on the feet, then was able to get a takedown in the final minute to seal the deal.
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After the fight, Jandiroba called for the opportunity to fight Dern again.
“Mackenzie Dern, you know you didn’t win this fight,” Jandiroba said in her post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “Mackenzie, I want my rematch.”
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 272 results:
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Virna Jandiroba def. Tabatha Ricci via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Vegas 115 results: Virna Jandiroba shuts down Tabatha Ricci
