Marina Rodriguez defeated Michelle Waterson-Gomez in the second round of their rematch at UFC Vegas 79 using a ground-and-pound technique, while some spectators felt the fight could have been stopped sooner due to the damage inflicted on Waterson-Gomez.
In a rematch from a previous five-round contest, Marina Rodriguez met Michelle Waterson-Gomez in the octagon at UFC Vegas 79 on Saturday. Rodriguez had previously won by unanimous decision, but this follow-up fight didn’t require the full duration. Early in the second round, Rodriguez executed a ground-and-pound, successfully putting an end to the blood-soaked and badly beaten Waterson-Gomez.
A majority of the destruction occurred in the first round where Waterson-Gomez was on the receiving end of a barrage of brutal elbows and knees from Rodriguez. This painted Waterson-Gomez’s face a bright shade of red by the end of the initial five minutes. Reactions from fighters who were spectating the live match were praiseworthy. Rodriguez caught the attention with her ruthlessness, while Waterson-Gomez impressed spectators with her unwavering resolve amid such a ferocious offensive onslaught.
Despite the applause, there were those who expressed that the match should have been halted sooner. UFC welterweight contender Belal Muhammad specifically, proposed that Waterson-Gomez’s corner should have intervened. Social media responses to the Rodriguez-Waterson-Gomez fight were varied. Terrance McKinney commended Waterson as a warrior and hailed Romero’s Muay Thai clinch, while others like Randy Brown and Jillian DeCoursey echoed Belal Muhammad’s sentiments about the need to stop the fight. DeCoursey also saluted Waterson’s resilience in enduring the brutal offensive while equally applauding Rodriguez for an impressive victory.