Marina Rodriguez recorded her 14th professional MMA win versus Michelle Waterson after a unanimous decision at the UFC Vegas 26 main event. The scorecards read 49-46, 49-46, and 48-47 with Marina Rodriguez notching her second straight victory while moving to 4-1-2 in her UFC career.
Michelle Waterson started the fight with a rapid attack but Marina Rodriguez backed her off with a powerful right hand that cracked the former Invicta FC champion. It only took a few punches for Michelle Waterson to become a little more cautious with her combinations to avoid the long, power strikes coming from the outside courtesy of Marina Rodriguez.
The first three rounds were totally dominated by Marina Rodriguez, but Michelle Waterson returned in the fourth and fifth round. Michelle Waterson also managed her first takedown in the fourth round that finally stalled Marina Rodriguez’s offense as she started to put together some good ground and pound. While it was enough to mount a comeback for that round, Michelle Waterson had to know she needed a finish.
When the fight ended, Marina Rodriguez clearly did enough to win, although she was unable to talk about her handiwork thanks to an injury suffered in the fight — likely from the head kick Michelle Waterson delivered that resulted in significant swelling in the jaw.
However, Marina Rodriguez had plenty of reason to celebrate as she wins in her first UFC main event and while this fight technically took place at flyweight.
