Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
- Miranda Maverick made her UFC debut a match to remember as she forced a doctor’s stoppage after one round.
- Maverick, who had been known for her submissions, bloodied her opponent Liana Jojua’s face with a savage aggression.
- Maverick is studying for a PhD in psychology but on Saturday at the UFC 254 event in Abu Dhabi, she took Jojua to striking school.
- Watch Maverick land a particularly painful-looking elbow strike below.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
FIGHT ISLAND — A 23-year-old American won her UFC debut when she cut her opponent so badly the doctor stopped the bout after five minutes.
Miranda Maverick may be studying for a PhD in psychology but inside the Octagon in her first-ever appearance in the UFC on Saturday at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi, she handed out a merciless schooling.
Maverick overpowered Liana Jojua with strikes, throwing a variety which included a sidekick to the gut, left hands to the face, and flurries of punches which she followed up with grunts as if she were a 1990s tennis player.
Maverick didn’t have it all her own way. Jojua threw 80 strikes and landed 30 for a success rate of 37%.
The problem for her was that when she did land, Maverick would strike back straight away with something harder — like a body kick.
The most violent strike through the match was a rude elbow that smacked the bones on Jojua's face. It was a strike she liked so much she threw it again, cutting Jojua so bad it was like she was wearing a mask of blood.
After the round came to an end, the fighters returned to their corners.
Maverick's corner was in front of press row where Insider was sitting and it was not long before she was jumping around, celebrating loudly.
In the opposite corner, the doctor had been inspecting Jojua's face and deemed the cuts on her nose too horrific to allow her to continue the fight.
Maverick, a former Invicta FC athlete who had wins over Pearl Gonzalez and DeAnna Bennett, added a win in the UFC to her fledgling fighting resume.
Though she had been submitting opponents in other organizations, it had been clear on Fight Island that she had been fine-tuning her stand-up skills because her victory at UFC 254 was her first via technical knockout or knockout.
Watch one of the strikes which led to the finish here:
—UFC (@ufc) October 24, 2020
After the win, Maverick expressed disappointment that she was not able to score a proper knockout, even though she won with ease in style.
"I wanted to go in there and put hands on her and finish her in the middle of a round, but it is what it is, I'm ready for the next one, put me in," said Maverick.
Maverick wants to put the women's flyweight division on blast
"I wanted to show that I had more abilities than just the ground game and that's what people say about me, that I'm not as well-rounded.
"As I showed today, I have striking I just don't usually have to use it … why get punched in the face if I don't have to, you know what I mean? I'm ready to go, I'm ready to scare this entire division," she said.
Maverick competes in a women's flyweight division which features many extraordinary talents including the champion Valentina Shevchenko and challengers Jessica Andrade, Katlyn Chookagian, and Lauren Murphy.
She said she hopes her stoppage win at UFC 254, which is one of the biggest combat sports events of the year, puts her weight class on notice.
"The statement was to win and show the world that I'm the best in this division and I'm the new thing coming up.
"I'm glad that I could show my striking and show that I am more well-rounded. I landed that elbow and it shocked me at the same time, that it made that big of a cut, and I was ready to keep putting damage on her.
"I think that she anticipated me trying to take her down at some point, just like everyone did. I think that she was already scared of my punches."
Maverick landed 49 of her 95 strike attempts in the five minute round — a 51% success rate.
The victory advanced Maverick's pro MMA record to eight wins (one knockout, five submissions, and two decisions) against two losses.
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