Irene Aldana won for the fourth time in her past five fights Saturday when she outpointed octagon newcomer Vanessa Melo at UFC on ESPN+ 17.
Aldana (11-5 MMA, 4-3 UFC) used a high output of more than 300 total strike attempts to turn back Melo (10-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC) – who replaced Marion Reneau on just 10 days’ notice – and take a unanimous decision in front of a raucous crowd full of her home country fans.
The catchweight bout (Melo missed the women’s bantamweight limit) was part of the UFC on ESPN+ 17 main card at Mexico City Arena in Mexico City.
“I’m so proud to be here, I haven’t fought here since 2013,” Aldana said in her post-fight interview. “I’m so glad to be here in front of my people.”
The first round delivered solid action with Aldana attempting to put the heat on Melo and give her a rude introduction to the UFC. To her credit, the newcomer didn’t look out of sorts She did her best to avoid Aldana from settling in, working to fight from inside the pocket in hopes of creating chaos against a bigger opponent. Aldana stayed disciplined, though, using her boxing to land some nice combination as she turned the heat up in the latter portion of the round.
It was more of the same in the second. Melo pushed forward and landed the occasional punch or combination, but Aldana was on point both offensively and defensively. The Mexican fighter mixed up moments of counter striking and aggression, getting the praise of commentator Michael Bisping for some slick boxing techniques, including a faint-uppercut into a right hook. Melo wasn’t deterred, but the fight was clearly getting out of hand through 10 minutes.
With the need for a big rally in the final frame, Melo did what she was supposed to in a losing situation. She came right at her opponent, but Aldana was not willing to provide openings. Aldana circled the cage to avoid any rushes but still kept active enough to stay well ahead. Aldana poured it on down the wire, putting the fight way out of reach and giving her the victory by 30-26, 30-26, 30-26 scores.
“I’m still searching for the top fight in the division. That’s who I want,” Aldana said. “This was another stepping stone, and the UFC knows I’m really open to whatever matchups.”
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN+ 17 results include:
- Irene Aldana def. Vanessa Melo via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
- Steven Peterson def. Martin Bravo via knockout (spinning backfist) – Round 2, 1:31
- Jose Quinonez def. Carlos Huachin via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Kyle Nelson def. Marco Polo Reyes via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:36
- Angela Hill def. Ariane Carnelossi via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) – Round 3, 1:56
- Sergio Pettis def. Tyson Nam via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Paul Craig def. Vinicius Moreira via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:19
- Bethe Correia def. Sijara Eubanks via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Claudio Puelles def. Marcos Mariano via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-25)
