Michelle
Waterson gave a valiant effort in the UFC on ESPN 24 main event
but ultimately came up short, falling to Marina
Rodriguez via unanimous decision on Saturday at the UFC Apex in
Las Vegas.
Despite being significantly undersized, the former Invicta FC
atomweight queen hung tough against her Brazilian opponent. “The
Karate Hottie” had her best moment in Round 4, when she landed a
takedown and spent the better part of three minutes battering
Rodriguez with punches and elbows from top position.
Waterson also caused Rodriguez’s jaw to swell after landing a high
kick in the final stanza, but she wasn’t able to match the muay
Thai striker’s weapons consistently enough in a bout that was
contested largely on the feet. The Jackson-Wink MMA representative
has lost three of her last four Octagon appearances but has been
competitive in falling to Rodriguez, Carla
Esparza and Joanna
Jedrzejczyk.
After her latest effort, the 35-year-old New Mexico resident
released a statement on the bout.
“Thank you for the dance [Marina
Rodriguez], one hell of a fight,”Waterson wrote on Instagram.
“Thank you [UFC] for giving me the opportunity to perform under the
lights! Thank you to all my friends, family, and fans for always
having my back!! Every time I step into the octagon, I step out a
better person. I’ll be back! Love you all.”