Michelle Waterson secured one of the biggest wins of her carer last night as she submitted Paige Vanzant in front of the 22-year olds home crowd in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Sacramento.
In what was her first UFC main event ‘The Karate Hottie’ dominated the majority of the fight and would look to use side-kicks to maintain distance between herself and Vanzant early on. With three minutes of the opening round on the clock Waterson perfectly executed a side headlock takedown to take her opponent to the canvas. Once securing the takedown Waterson immediately transitioned to her opponent’s back attacking the neck of Vanzant. Once the rear naked choke was secured it was up to referee John McCarthy to intervene and put a stop to the fight due to Vanzant showing great fighting spirit and refusing to tap out.
Last night’s display saw Waterson take home one of the Performance of the Night bonuses and makes it two wins on the bounce for the 30-year old taking her record to 8-1 from her last nine bouts. This was a huge win for Waterson who legitimizes herself as a top contender in the strawweight division whilst raising her profile by taking out one of the most recognisable faces in the UFC. After securing back to back submission victories over Angela Magana in her debut at The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale and now Vanzant, Waterson will find herself moving up the rankings and is likely to get a shot at another top 10 opponent in her next 115lb bout.
Speaking after the fight Waterson admitted she is not looking to call out any specific opponent and will leave the fate of her next opponent in the hands of the UFC. “The year and a half (off) really allowed me to become comfortable in my skin and know how I am I as a fighter, and to know that this is where I belong,” she said. “I don’t need to force anything.”
