Julija Stoliarenko had a lot to prove on a big stage in London, and played the role of spoiler and underdog perfectly in less than two minutes.
In the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 224 at The O2 in London, Stoliarenko (11-7-1 MMA, 2-5 UFC) shared the octagon with Molly McCann (13-6 MMA, 6-5 UFC). It was an underdog role in every sense of the word for Stoliarenko, but she silenced a hostile crowd and tapped her fan-favorite opponent at 1:55 of Round 1.
Stoliarenko tried to get the action going at a fast pace early, but McCann wasn’t interested in brawling at the very start. When McCann did throw punches, she landed well, but her success wouldn’t last long.
Stoliarenko decided to get the fight to the ground, and took McCann’s back quickly. McCann was able to get her opponent off her back, but she wasn’t out of danger yet. Stoliarenko isolated an arm in the scramble and locked in a deep armbar. McCann tried to escape, but after rolling over, she had no choice but to tap from the submission hold.
Check out video of the finish below (via Twitter):
Put an end to this fight just 2️⃣ minutes into round one 🤯 #UFCLondon
— UFC (@ufc) July 22, 2023
The result was the second victory under the UFC banner in seven fights for Stoliarenko. Her previous victory was in a similar fashion to Saturday’s result, as she submitted Jessica-Rose Clark in the first round at UFC 276.
On the other side, McCann’s England homecoming didn’t go according to plan. “Meatball” has now dropped two straight outings, both ending in the first round. Prior to her current skid, she racked up three-straight victories over Ji Yeon Kim, Luana Carolina and Hannah Goldy.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 224 results include:
- Julija Stoliarenko def. Molly McCann via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 1:55
- Nathaniel Wood def. Andre Fili via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Paul Craig def. Andre Muniz via TKO (elbows) – Round 2, 4:40
- Fares Ziam def. Jai Herbert via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Lerone Murphy def. Josh Culibao via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
- Daniel Marcos def. Davey Grant via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Jonny Parsons def. Danny Roberts TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:57
- Joel Alvarez def. Marc Diakiese via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 4:26
- Mick Parkin def. Jamal Pogues via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Makhmud Muradov def. Bryan Barberena via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Ketlen Vieira def. Pannie Kianzad via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Chris Duncan def. Yanal Ashmouz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Bruna Brasil def. Shauna Bannon via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Jafel Filho def. Daniel Barez via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 1:34
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 224.
