Tatiana Suarez ended Nina Ansaroff’s impressive win streak and extended her own unbeaten streak with another wrestling clinic.
But Ansaroff (10-6 MMA, 4-3 UFC) didn’t make it easy, hurting the grappling standout late in the fight before judges gave Suarez (8-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) the decision Saturday night.
The final scorecards were 29-28 across the board, which reflected the shift in momentum as the fight wound toward its conclusion. After spending much of the first and second round on the canvas, Ansaroff found her sprawl and forced Suarez to stand. It was an uncomfortable position for the Olympic hopeful and exposed holes in her overall game that Suarez’s next opponent will no doubt try to exploit.
In the final moments of the fight, Ansaroff might have pulled off the upset with a few more seconds. A pair of head kicks and a flurry of punches had Suarez genuinely hurt. But Suarez survived, and her lead on the scorecards was too much to overcome.
Without the aid of sweat and activity, no amount of sprawl could keep Ansaroff from being pushed across the canvas and dumped on her back. She mitigated the worst of the ground and pound that came her way, but there was no doubt that Suarez had won the round.
Now, the question is whether the UFC seasons Suarez a bit more, or the fight serves as the bridge to champ Jessica Andrade, whose striking will give her the ultimate test.
The women’s strawweight bout closed out the preliminary card of UFC 238 at United Center in Chicago. It aired on ESPN following prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+ and ahead of the main card on pay-per-view.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 238 results include:
- Tatiana Suarez def. Nina Ansaroff via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Aljamain Sterling def. Pedro Munhoz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Alexa Grasso def. Karolina Kowalkiewicz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Calvin Kattar def. Ricardo Lamas via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 4:06
- Yan Xiaonan def. Angela Hill via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Darren Stewart def. Bevon Lewis via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Eddie Wineland def. Grigorri Popov via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 4:47
- Katlyn Chookagian def. Joanne Calderwood via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
For complete coverage of UFC 238, check out the UFC Events section of the site.
