Polyana Viana potentially saved her spot on the UFC roster Saturday with a much-needed win over Emily Whitmire at UFC on ESPN+ 33.
Viana (11-4 MMA, 2-3 UFC) carried a three-fight losing skid into her matchup with Whitmire (4-4 MMA, 2-3 UFC) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Her back was against the wall, but then she rose to the occasion in thrilling fashion.
The Brazilian found an opportunity to lock up an armbar on Whitmire from bottom position early in the fight and finished the job in less than two minutes.
Check out the reply of her handiwork below (via Twitter):
ABSOLUTE PRECISION ⚡️
🇧🇷 @Polyana_VianaDF locks in the armbar to close in RD 1.
Watch now on @ESPN & #ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/yuzWVScWgE
— UFC (@ufc) August 29, 2020
With the performance, Viana has still yet to see the scorecards in victory. She’s put her opponent away inside the distance every time she’s gotten her hand raised, and Whitmire offered her that opportunity with her early aggression.
Viana returned to the win column for the first time since her UFC debut in February 2018, and now the 28-year-old can move forward with some pressure off her shoulders.
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