A women’s strawweight clash between No. 9 ranked Marina Rodriguez and No. 12 ranked Gillian Robertson took place on Saturday’s UFC Des Moines preliminary fight card.
Rodriguez entered the fight coming off back-to-back losses and in desperate need of a win. She had lost four of her last five fights and was fighting to stay relevant in the division.
Robertson made the walk to the octagon riding a three-fight winnings streak. The Canadian was looking to crack the Top 10 rankings and expand on her recent momentum.
Robertson landed first with a leg kick followed by a right hand. Rodriguez fired back with a right hand. Robertson changed levels and took Rodriguez down 90 seconds into the fight. She delivered short elbows to the leg of Rodriguez as she worked to isolate an arm. Robertson repeatedly delivered elbows to the thigh. Rodriguez turned and Robertson connected with left hands. In the closing minute, Roberson began landing elbows. It was a dominant round for Robertson. MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for the Canadian.
Rodriguez opened the second round with a combination. Robertson secured a takedown and mounted Rodriguez. She posture up and delivered elbows and punches. Rodriguez covered up and rolled. Robertson continued to hammer away until the referee stopped the fight.
The official time of the TKO stoppage was 2:07 of the second round.
