Amanda Nunes proved to be way too much on the feet and the mat for the durable Felicia Spencer tonight at UFC 250 as she cruised to a unanimous decision victory.
Round One:
The main event women’s featherweight title fight is underway in Las Vegas!
Front kick to the body for Nunes. Spencer leading with left hand as she charges into a potential clinch opportunity, but Nunes lands a counter and avoids getting tied up.
Hard punch lands for Nunes, but Spencer takes it ok. Nunes comes up short with a one-two. Spencer presses forward and Nunes lands a solid counter.
Two punches from Nunes. Spencer gets into the clinch against the cage and landing some knees. However, Nunes does a really nice job of executing a takedown of her own that catches Spencer off-guard.
Nunes now working from side control with over half the round remaining. Knee to the body from Nunes. Spencer moves to her knees and wants to get back up, but Nunes is quickly on her and denies the stand-up.
Nunes gets into half-guard now and lands elbows. She stays patient, then starts raining down more hard elbow strikes to the head.
Another elbow lands. Final 60 seconds of the round and Spencer is already cut from those elbows. Now Nunes lands elbows to the body and then back to short ones to the head.
Nunes back in full guard now. She goes for another elbow strike. Spencer trying for an triangle choke, but Nunes gets out of that easily and lands a final elbow.
Round Two:
Spencer leading with the jab as she tries to close the distance. Now a winging left hand from her. Nunes with a crisper combo of punches. Superwoman punch attempt from Spencer comes up short and she eats a Nunes counter punch for her troubles.
Left hand gets through for Spencer. Hard leg kick from Nunes. Spencer tries to fire back but misses. Hard right hand lands for Nunes.
Overhand right connects again for Nunes. One-two for Nunes as Spencer tries to close the distance. Nice takedown from Nunes off a failed attempt to do so from Spencer.
Spencer to her knees and trying to stand, but eats Elbows as she does so. Nunes stands over her, but opts to let her back up from the mat.
Overhand right from Nunes again, but doesn’t land clean. Leg kick for Spencer. Nunes responds with one of her own.
Body punch from Nunes. Left hook now. Spinning elbow attempt too. Inside leg kick from Nunes. High kick attempt from Spencer. Overhand right from Nunes.
Round Three:
One-two from Nunes as Spencer comes forward, but the challenger does land a knee.
More solid connection on the one-two this time from Nunes. She starts piecing together more punches and kicks and Spencer tries to return fire. Nunes clearly on a different level though, so she has to be careful.
Nunes blasts Spencer with a straight right that hurts her, but Spencer points to the fact that her mouthpiece came out with that strike and that gives her a few seconds to recover while it’s picked back off the mat.
Back to it they go. A left hand gets through for Spencer. Spencer tries for a kick, but Nunes catches it and dumps her to the mat.
Nunes lets her back up. Nunes with another combo. Punches come up short for Spencer and then Nunes lands clean.
Nunes steps things up a gear, landing straight punches as Spencer backs up to the fence. More punches and a head kick attempt too.
Spencer tries for a takedown, but it fails. Nunes crisp with counters. Overhand right for Nunes. Now an uppercut. Front kick to the body. Spencer is getting picked apart here.
Leg kick lands for Nunes. Spencer struggling with those kicks. Nunes blasts her to the head with more punches. Spencer having to dig deep here to keep hanging on in there. Final spinning elbow from Nunes to end the round.
Round Four:
Reaching jabs from Spencer. Nunes with a hard counter punch. Leg kick for Nunes. Now punches and another leg kick. Then she lands a big straight right that sends Spencer’s head snapping back and she froze for a moment there.
Nunes just in complete control now, though Spencer is still occasionlly throwing back. She doesn’t have anthing like Nunes power though and isn’t able to deter her from continuing to put on the pressure.
Good elbow for Nunes. Another straight right lands. Spencer misses with a superwoman punch. Spinning kick to the body from Nunes.
Body punch from Nunes. Nunes grabs a raised leg of Spencer and easily dumps her to the mat, then stands over her.
Nunes not looking to tangle with her on the mat though and soon lets her back up. Body punches from Nunes and then back upstairs. Hard right hand lands as Spencer tries to duck into a takedown attempt that doesn’t work out.
Hard leg kick from Nunes buckles Spencer’s leg. Nunes blasting her with the right hand in particular really doing a lot of damage. Spencer is extremely tough, but she’s getting badly beat up now. More punches land and Spencer’s bleeding more from the face.
Nunes gets Spencer down and swoops on a rear-naked choke attempt. It looks tight, but the horn sounds before she can get the finish.
Round Five:
Jab lands for Nunes. Now a lead elbow. Spencer charges forward but doesn’t land and Nunes connects on the counter.
Low leg kick for Nunes. Spencer trying in desparation for a takedown, but nothing doing and it’s Nunes who gets her down instead.
Half-guard for Nunes. Elbow for Nunes. She’s looking to set up an arm triangle choke attempt, but it’s not happening for now. Spencer still game, looking to land a few elbow strikes.
Back in Spencer’s full guard, Nunes lands an elbow. Half the round remaining. Another elbow gets through. Spencer bleeding heavily from the face now.
90 seconds to go and Nunes opts to stand back up. Spencer still down though and kicking at her knee. Spencer but-scooting and eventually stands back up in the final minutes.
The ref stops the action to let a doctor look at the cut to Spencer. She’s ok though and continues.
Head kick attempt from Spencer. left, right and another hard right for Nunes, then into the takedown, partially getting Spencer down. Now a more authorative takedown from Nunes and continues to go on the attack right up until the final bell.
Decision:
Complete domination from Nunes then and extreme toughness from Spencer to survive until the final bell, leading to a unanimous decision victory (50-44 x2, 50-45).
