Interim LFA Strawweight Champion Natasha Kuziutina petitioned for a spot on the UFC roster on Friday night after winning a gruelling five-round fight against Yasmine Guimaraes.
Appearing in the same country where she earned a bronze medal for Judo in the 2016 Olympics, Brazil, Kuziutina went through five rounds against Guimaraes to win via unanimous decision. The title bout headlined LFA 197 from Sao Paulo.
Kuziutina had a strong start to the fight, nearly finishing Guimaraes in the opening round.
The Russian prospect applied a deep armbar onto Guimaraes in the final minute of the first round, putting the Brazilian prospect in deep danger of being stopped. However, Guimaraes was able to endure the hold until the round ran out of time.
In between rounds, it seemed as if the Guimaraes had suffered an injury due to the submission, with the broadcast wondering whether her elbow had popped out. The referee motioned to wave off the fight once he saw Guimaraes’ condition, but then shockingly reversed his decision and instead let the bout continue.
While the opening round saw Kuziutina nearly end the fight, it wasn’t as impactful on scorecards as he might have hoped. The incumbent champ was deducted a point early in the bout due to a fence grab to prevent a takedown attempt, meaning she might have broken even with the round or won the frame by just a single point, as opposed to a wider 10-8 result.
However, the champ pulled ahead with a successful second frame. After Guimaraes was also deducted a point for fence grabbing, Kuziutina won the second frame by scoring a takedown and landing with ground and pound.
Kuzitina utilized headlock positions on the feet throughout the fight, either by setting up takedowns or allowing a moment to throw punches.
Guimaraes, despite seemingly suffering an injury, battled back and showed signs of life in the championship rounds of the fight. She was notably able to threaten Kuziutina in the closing moments of the fifth round with a guillotine choke while on her back.
While Guimaraes gave Kuziutina a run for her money, the fight had wide margins on the scorecards. Judges saw the bout 47-45, 49-43, and 48-45 in favor of Kuziutina.
The victory was Kuziutina’s third consecutive LFA title win within a 12-month period. She previously went the distance in a pair of other title fights, ending the undefeated run of GiGi Canuto and beating Bellator vet Bruna Ellen.
The 35-year-old now wants bigger opportunities in the sport.
“Mick Maynard, why don’t you like me?” she said after her win on Friday, calling out UFC’s matchmaker. “I am the champion. I am the best of the best. I want to beat the UFC girls.”
Guimaraes entered this weekend with an impressive five-fight winning streak, including a pair of past appearances in Polish MMA promotion KSW. Her previous fight was a decision win over Naizi Cantanhede, ending the prospect’s seven-fight undefeated record.
The co-main event of the night saw Marcio Barbosa score his third consecutive first-round LFA finish, beating Felipe Oliveira in just under three minutes with strikes. Earlier in the evening, former Bellator talent Jose Augusto returned with a third-round stoppage against Edivan Santos.
Here are the quick results from LFA 197:
Main Card (7:00PM EST / 9:00PM BRT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 14: Natasha Kuziutina def. Yasmin Guimaraes via Decision, Unanimous (Interim LFA Strawweight Championship)
Bout 13: Marcio Barbosa def. Felipe Oliveira via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:54)
Bout 12: Vinicius Pires def. Jhon Rodriguez Tacha via Submission, Triangle Choke (RD 2, 4:00)
Bout 11: Jose Augusto def. Edivan Santos via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 3:20)
Bout 10: Michael Oliveira def. Aldo Pereira via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 9: Marcelo Marques def. Luann Sardinha via Decision, Split
Bout 8: Juan Pablo Vieira def. Maycon Kevin via Submission, Armbar (RD 1, 0:50)
Preliminary Card (5:30PM EST / 7:30PM BRT) (Youtube)
Bout 7: Richard Martins def. Lucas Batista via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 4:29)
Bout 6: Reginaldo Junior def. Dallys Dama via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 5: Aieza Bertolso def. Janaina Silva via Decision, Unanimous
Early Prelims (3:00PM EST / 5:00PM BRT) (Youtube)
Bout 4: Ryan Gandra def. Vladimir Calvo via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:28)
Bout 3: Nicoly Pedroza def. Thalita Diniz via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:25)
Bout 2: Beatiz Consuli def. Thaiany Lopes via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 1: Clara Oliveira def. Maria Vaz via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 2:22)
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