Mariya Agapova rebounded from one of the biggest upset losses in UFC history with a statement performance at UFC Fight Night 194.
After outstriking Sabina Mazo (9-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) for more than two rounds in Saturday’s women’s flyweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Agapova (10-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) got a big-time finish when she dropped her foe with a slick right hand, then pounced on a rear-naked choke to get the tap – all within the blink of an eye.
It was a perfect way for Agapova to put her previous fight behind her. She was the victim of an all-time upset against Shana Dobson in August 2020, but came back to become the first to finish Mazo inside the distance.
Check out the replay of the finish below (via Twitter):
What a performance by @MMA_Mashka 🔥
[ #UFCVegas39 | We're LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/0wK1zNvk8D
— UFC (@ufc) October 9, 2021
That's now 4️⃣ wins in her last 5️⃣ fights for @MMA_Mashka 🇰🇿
[ #UFCVegas39 | We're LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/MvbHKnIgO5
— UFC (@ufc) October 9, 2021
After the win, Agapova’s emotions poured out.
“Thank you so much for my coach and my friend,” Agapova said in her post-fight interview with Paul Felder. “I got in a very bad situation before my fight financially and all my friends helped me. Thank you to all my friends. Sabina is very tough opponent. I had tough fight with her. Very hard.”
She also had a callout ready to go. She targeted Maryna Moroz (10-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC), who had some harsh words for Agapova after her departure from American Top Team.
“I would like to call out Maryna Moroz because she talked sh*t about me in an interview,” Agapova said.
Up-to-the-moment results of UFC Fight Night 194 include:
- Mariya Agapova def. Sabina Mazo via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 0:53
- Chris Gutierrez def. Felipe Colares via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 30-27)
- Alexandr Romanov def. Jared Vaderaa via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:43
- Damon Jackson def. Charles Rosa via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 30-27)
- Loopy Godinez def. Silvana Gomez Juarez via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 4:14
- Steve Garcia def. Charlie Ontiveros via TKO (elbows, punches) – Round 2, 1:51
