Maryna Moroz took Sabina Mazo’s best kicks and used her grappling to neutralize her opponent’s strengths over three rounds.
Mazo (6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) got close a few times to landing her famed head kick, but Moroz’s (9-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) well-rounded attack won the day with a unanimous decision. Moroz had a 30-27 score and a pair of 29-28s from the judges.
The women’s flyweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC on ESPN 2 event at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. It streamed on ESPN+ ahead of the rest of the card on ESPN.
The final scores were 30-27 and 29-28 twice in favor of Moroz.
Moroz wasted no time tying up the fight and using her fists to set up takedowns. No doubt wary of being the victim of one of Mazo’s head kicks, she gave no space for such an attack and needed just one minute to get the fight to the canvas. Mazo tried to her opponent’s control posture and arms for a submission setup. Eventually, Moroz gave her the space to escape, and she went to work with kicks. But it wasn’t long before Moroz clinched up and controlled against the cage.
Moroz stayed in Mazo’s face early in the second frame, throwing heavy punches and kicks. Mazo missed a head kick and knee as Moroz pressed her to the fence. Takedown attempts weren’t successful for Moroz, but her striking output left Mazo little time to get in the fight. Mazo eventually found herself back against the fence, taking short shots as her nose bled.
Mazo got busy with kicks and stuffed Moroz’s early shot in the final frame. Using her range, she stung Moroz to the legs and body and added lunging knees. Moroz was forced to tie up again and re-establish control against the fence. Mazo managed, to escape, but Moroz survived her best kicks and landed a heavy uppercut in the final standup exchange of the fight.
Moroz snaps a two-fight skid in her first bout at flyweight, while Mazo suffers her first loss as a professional.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 2 results include:
- Maryna Moroz def. Sabina Mazo via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Alex Perez def. Mark De La Rosa via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
For complete coverage of UFC on ESPN 2, check out the UFC Events section of the site.
