Antonina Shevchenko never got a tap from Lucie Pudilova, but she still finished their fight before judges could get close.
Shevchenko (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) almost trapped Pudilova (8-5 MMA, 2-4 UFC) in the first round, and she finished the job to leave her opponent unconscious in the second.
The women’s flyweight bout was part of the UFC on ESPN 5 preliminary card at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The event aired on ESPN.
The fight was called at the 1:20 mark of the second as Shevchenko cranked on a rear-naked choke. The referee initially had gotten a physical response from Pudilova as he checked to see whether she was out. But after advancing to back mount, Pudilova went out, forcing the stoppage.
It was the second time Shevchenko had locked in a submission after catching Pudilova in an armbar. The submission was locked in, but Pudilova never tapped despite getting her arm contorted in a variety of ways.
Pudilova also proved to be a tough customer in the standup department, landing an elbow that opened up Shevchenko’s eyebrow and bled generously through the opening frame.
Shevchenko gets a new battle scar and gets back to the win column after a decision loss to Roxanne Modaferri in her previous outing. Pudilova now has lost three straight.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 5 results include:
- Antonina Shevchenko def. Lucie Pudilova via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:20
- Matt Schnell def. Jordan Espinosa via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 1:23
- Lauren Murphy def. Mara Romero Borella via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 1:46
- Claudio Silva def. Cole Williams via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:35
- Miranda Granger def. Hannah Goldy via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
