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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Matt Erickson and Ken Hathaway

Elise Reed thinks Karolina Kowalkiewicz could finally give her the standup fight she wants

LAS VEGAS – Elise Reed beat Jinh Yu Frey with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 45 in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Reed, who has rebounded from all three of her stoppage losses with decision wins.

Jinh Yu Frey vs. Elise Reed

Result: Elise Reed def. Jinh Yu Frey via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Updated records: Reed (7-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC), Frey (11-9 MMA, 2-5 UFC)
Key stat: Although Frey landed three takedowns, Reed more than doubled up in the striking department at 94-42 overall.

Reed on the fight's key moment

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JUNE 03: (R-L) Elise Reed punches Jinh Yu Frey in a strawweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on June 03, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

“The game plan was to hit her. We know that people like to try to take me down, so using my distance – obviously as a lefty, it changes the game plan a little bit in terms of striking. But it was just maintaining the distance and being able to hit her.”

Reed on a hard-fought win

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JUNE 03: (L-R) Jinh Yu Frey punches Elise Reed in a strawweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on June 03, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

“I’m so critical in the cage. I want to have a perfect performance. I want to be able to dominate. And obviously when you get taken down, it plays on you a little bit. But I pushed the pace. I clipped her a few times. I made her hesitate. I’m sure when I look at it without being in the cage, I’m going to be able to see the things that I did well and capitalized on. She was tough. It was a tough one.”

Reed on what she wants next

“I love fighting, so I’ll fight whenever. I don’t know if my coaches would agree, but any time the UFC wants to say, ‘Hey, want to jump back in?’ I’m happy to do it – so probably sometime in the fall.

“I love this job. Karolina Kowalkiewicz: solid striker. I know that I fight strikers and they end up not being strikers, but if we want to put on a solid show, it’s going to be against a striker, so we’ll see.”

To hear more from Reed, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 45.

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