Jessica-Rose Clark Over Powers Paige VanZant in UFC Co-Main Event from St. Louis
Jessica-Rose Clark had to battle through a lot of personal issues during fight week but she still managed to out work and over power Paige VanZant to earn a unanimous decision in the co-main event from St. Louis.
Clark came to St. Louis from Las Vegas but just days after arriving she learned that her home was broken into and the thieves not only stole her property but sadly attacked her cat, which was later put down.
Still, Clark endured that awful news and managed to put on a winning performance in her second UFC appearance.
As the fight got underway, VanZant looked to control the distance with her striking attacks including several stiff kicks while Clark was looking for an opening to get inside.
Clark finally got locked into the clinch when VanZant attempted an ill-fated head and arm throw that ended with her getting locked on the bottom on the ground.
Clark stayed in complete control throughout the remainder of the round with VanZant not doing much of anything outside of playing defense on the mat. At the same time, Clark did very little damage on top but she did stay on top, smothering VanZant for the bulk of the round.
The second round saw VanZant uncork a nice spinning back fist as she once again showed off her striking attacks but Clark kept pressing forward until she landed another takedown.
VanZant was stuck underneath Clark once again with little breathing room but she finally reversed position in a scramble. Clark quickly transitioned into a triangle choke from the bottom and she locked up the submission but VanZant was able to survive until the horn sounded at the end of the round.
Between rounds, VanZant told her corner that she may have broken her right arm, which was very evident during the final five minutes as she held that close to her body while throwing mostly kicks at Clark throughout.
After the death of her cat and having her home broken into, Jessica-Rose Clark still triumphs at #UFCSTL https://t.co/f0EecZNm8L
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) January 15, 2018
VanZant definitely held her own but for every shot she landed when Clark fired back it was clear that she was landing with a lot more power. When the fight came to an end, Clark earned a hard fought unanimous decision as she gets her second victory in the UFC while VanZant drops her second fight in a row.
Clark endured a lot to get to the fight on Sunday night but still got the job done as she picked up the win while handing VanZant a loss in her flyweight debut.
“We did what we needed to do,” Clark said after a very tough fight week.
