Overwhelmed with emotion!@JoselyneMMA29
[
with the win at
#UFCFightIsland7.
#InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi
] pic.twitter.com/yhSx8C9Tlv— UFC (@ufc)
January 16, 2021
Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. Joselyne
Edwards proved she belongs at the sport’s highest level.
The promotional newcomer made a successful
Ultimate Fighting Championship debut as a short-notice
replacement for Bethe
Correia, as she captured a unanimous decision against Yanan Wu in
the featured
UFC on ABC 1 prelim on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi,
United Arab Emirates. Edwards (10-2, 1-0 UFC) swept the scorecards
with 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 nods from the judges.
Wu (11-4, 1-3 UFC) had her moments — she did her best work in the
third round, where she connected with a right hook that snapped her
opponent’s head sideways — but appeared to be a step behind the
Octagon rookie for much of their 15-minute encounter. Edwards
threatened with an armbar in the first round and assaulted her
counterpart with damaging ground-and-pound in the second, showing
off the well-rounded skills that allowed her to stand out on the
regional scene.
Once-Beaten Felipe Decisions Tafa
Shooto Brazil veteran Carlos
Felipe inched ever closer to a meaningful stake in a volatile
division, as he took a contentious split decision from Justin Tafa
in a three-round heavyweight battle. All three cageside judges
scored it 29-28: Anders Ohlsson for Tafa, Paul
Sutherland and Lukasz Bosacki for Felipe.
Tafa (4-2, 1-2 UFC) vaulted out to a strong start behind heavy
kicks to the Brazilian’s lead leg and body in the first round.
Felipe (10-1, 2-1 UFC) walked through the damage and started to
turn the tide in the second half of Round 2, where he cracked the
Aussie with a right hook to the face that resulted in immediate
damage to the left eye. Tafa managed to regain his bearings in
back-and-forth third round, as the two men stood forehead to
forehead and let their hands fly.
Felipe has bounced back from a July 18 decision loss to Sergey
Spivak with consecutive victories.
Efficient Emeev Edges Zawada
Former M-1 Global champion Ramazan
Emeev won for the ninth time in 10 appearances, as he eked out
a split decision over David
Zawada in a three-round welterweight scrap. All three judges
struck 29-28 scorecards: Ben Cartlidge and David Lethaby for Emeev,
Michael Bell for Zawada.
Emeev (20-4, 5-1 UFC) executed multiple takedowns and paired them
with efficient standup. He connected with perhaps the most
impactful blow of the fight at the end of the second round, where
he cut Zawada (17-6, 1-3 UFC) near the left eye with a right hook
from close range. Even in victory, Emeev was faced with
considerable difficulty. Zawada battered his lead leg purple with
repeated leg kicks and struck for a takedown of his own in Round 3,
ultimately achieving full mount before squandering the
position.
Three of Zawada’s six career losses have now resulted in split
verdicts.
Melo Outpoints Reeling Moras
Babuino Gold Team’s Vanessa
Melo rebounded from consecutive losses to Irene
Aldana, Tracy
Cortez and Karol Rosa,
as she laid claim to a unanimous decision over Sarah Moras
in a three-round women’s bantamweight tilt. Melo (11-8, 1-3 UFC)
swept the scorecards with 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 marks from the
judges.
Moras (6-7, 3-6 UFC) spent almost the entire fight moving backward
— a tactic that did not serve her interests. Melo advanced with
steady pressure and unleashed a number of left hooks, one of which
sent the Canadian’s mouthpiece flying in the second round. Blood
flowed from Moras’ mouth and nose, as she attempted to establish
her foothold with jabs and leg kicks. Those efforts ultimately
failed.
A semifinalist on Season 18 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Moras has
lost six of her past eight bouts.
Heavy-Handed Lingo Sinks Kilburn
Clean punching combinations and stellar takedown defense carried
Fortis MMA export Austin
Lingo to a unanimous decision over Jacob
Kilburn in a three-round featherweight pairing. All three
cageside judges scored it for Lingo (8-1, 1-1 UFC): 30-26, 30-26
and 30-27.
Kilburn (8-4, 0-2 UFC) met with adversity immediately. Lingo decked
the American Top Team rep with a right cross inside the first 30
seconds, had him reeling along the fence with punches and staggered
the Dana White’s Contender Series alum with a sharp jab-cross
combination during a subsequent exchange. Kilburn withstood his
counterpart’s bid to finish, but he was still forced to play from
behind. Lingo maintained his lead across the final 10 minutes,
denied one takedown after another and extricated himself from an
attempted kimura in the third round.
The 25-year-old Kilburn has suffered back-to-back defeats since
joining the UFC roster in 2019.
