Jennifer Maia utilized her technical striking Saturday to become the first opponent to defeat previously-surging flyweight contender Casey O'Neill.
The bout was part of the UFC 286 main card at The O2 in London and saw Maia (21-9-1 MMA, 6-5 UFC) defeat O’Neill (9-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).
The fight was largely a technical striking match for its duration. While O’Neill found success with her strikes, her combinations were shorter and less in volume than Maia’s. As O’Neill often fired single strikes, Maia would answer with two or three. O’Neill pressed the action, but Maia utilized her footwork to elude the pressuring foe.
