Michelle Waterson edged out Angela Hill in an entertaining and hard fought five round battle tonight at UFC Fight Night 177, emerging victorious by split decision.
Round One:
The main event is underway in Las Vegas.
Waterson pumping out the jab without landing so far. She does get a leg kick though. Waterson thinks about a takedown attempt, but has to abort on it.
Nice straight punches from Hill. Nice right hand for Hill. She lands with the right again. Inside leg kick for Waterson.
Waterson clinches up with Hill and brings her to the cage. She lands a knee. Elbow strike now as they break apart.
Outside leg kick for Waterson is countered by a punch from Hill. Oblique kick from Hill. Nice straight right for her.
Waterson reaches for a takedown and quickly decides against it. Outside leg kick for The Karatie Hottie instead.
Body kick for Waterson. Waterson presses forward into the clinch and goes for the takedown, but Hill stuffs it. Waterson still spins her around and presses her to the cage thhough. Hill able to reverse the position, but soon opts to retreat back to striking range.
Nice three-piece combo from Hill. Nice stuffing of the takedown from Hill and then a good knee to the body.
Hill clinching up against the cage now. Hook from Waterson threatens as they separate. Body kick for Hill. Hill lands one last kick as the round ends.
Round Two:
Both ladies missing with strikes. Then they do both meet in the center of the cage and land, with Hill appearing to get the better of it.
Body kick for Waterson. Push kick for Hill. Right hand from Hill and a leg kick for Waterson. Nice right hand for Waterson.
Body kick for Hill and then a brief flurry upstairs. Another body kick for Hill. Good jab for her too.
Front kick to the body from Hill, then a flurry of punches on the counter from Waterson and a leg kick to end it.
Punch lands for Waterson. Upper body kick from Hill. Now a jab. left hand gets through for Waterson. waterson misses punches and Hill catches her off-guard with a counter and that may have hurt her.
Hill looking to pour on the pressure. She lands a jab. Waterson seems ok though and lands a leg kick. She goes for the takedown attempt but nothing doing.
Jab for Hill. Leg kick for Waterson and now trying for a single leg takedown. Hill stops that and presses Waterson into the cage.
They exchange knees and Hill lands several more than Waterson, then backs up. Front kick to the body for Waterson. Nice overhand from Waterson.
Two punches from Hill. Body kick for Waterson. Hill misses a punch and Waterson lands her counter. Flurry of punches don’t land for Waterson, but leg kick does.
Hill tries a head kick but doesn’t pay off. She tries a front kick upstairs too. They clinch up briefly. Axe kick attempt from Waterson at the end of the round.
Round Three:
Both ladies coming up just short with feeler punches. Kick lands for Waterson. Hill almost connects with a kick usptairs. Jab for Hill.
Front kick attempt to the body from Waterson. left hand for her. Hill lands a jab and Waterson is bleeding from the nose now.
Hill steps into a knee to the body, but Waterson immediately goes into a takedown and lands it in the center of the Octagon.
Waterson in half-guard here at the mid-way point of the fight. Hill briefly through about a kimura, but nothing doing. Hill working over to the cage here, but Waterson in a good spot still. She lands a punch.
Hill trying to shrimp out here. She gets to her knees and tries to stand, but Waterson is on her back. Hill almost scrambles out and gets on top, but Waterson adjusts nicely and remains on top, settling back into half-guard.
Punch to the body and head from Waterson. Waterson trying to pass guard, but Hill brings her back to full guard.
Final 10 seconds of the round and Waterson lands a nice punch. Hill manages to push her away with her feet and then upkicks her to the face, but that was an illegal blow and she receives a warning from the ref after they go back to their respective corners.
Round Four:
Leg kick for Hill. Jab for Waterson. Waterson in on a takedown again, but Hill shrugs it off and goes back to striking range.
Left and a right hand from Hill. Again Waterson tries to close the distance for a takedown, but Hill presses her up against the cage.
Back to the center of the Octagon they go. Nice right hand for Hill. Overhand from Waterson misses. Side kick to the knee from Waterson. Right hand for her.
Elbow for Waterson. Punch from Waterson misses, fakes a takedown and then tries to go upstairs again. Head kick attempt from Hill.
Nice right hand for Waterson. Jab for her. Now a leg kick. Leg kick and a body kick for Waterson. Hill stuffs another takedown attempt.
Hill throws a straight, but Waterson counters with another takedown attempt. Hill does well to stay upright. Waterson still in the clinch against the cage, but Hill reverses that and then disengages.
Side kick to the body from Waterson. Hill’s output has slowed in this round, while Waterson has upped her offensive output.
Another side kick lands for Waterson. Now one goes upstairs. hill tries another straight, but Waterson’s side kick lands again.
Hill trying to get aggressive now and ends up in the clinch with a knee. Side kick from Waterson to the body. Hill with a kick and punch as the horn is sounding.
Round Five:
Double jab, leg kick from Waterson. Punch for Hill. Kick upstairs from Waterson misses. Hill trying to get into range to land her own offense.
Hill with more pressure here than the last round. Waterson with another side kick though. Now a jab. Missed front kick upstairs from Hill.
Body punch from Hill. Now a body kick lands for her. Double jab for Waterson. Side kick to the body. Another lands.
Spinning kick upstairs from Waterson misses. Right hand lands for Hill. Jab for Hill. Kick upstairs from Hill doesn’t land.
Waterson with another kick. Front kick to the body from Hill. Waterson returns fire with a kick of her own. Right hand for Waterson.
Body kick for Waterson. Flurry of punches and a leg kick from Waterson.
Into the clinch briefly and Hill tried to land an elbow on the way out. Nice left hand for Hill. Push kick for Waterson. Waterson tries for a takedown, but has to give up on it.
Side kick to the body from WEaterson. Right hand for Hill. Sneaky left hand from Hill. Now a front kick to the body.
Two-piece combo for Hill. Front kick for Waterson. Good head kick attempt from Hill. Hard right hand for Hill.
waterson tries to flurry, but misses. She lands a leg kick. She tries an axe kick that misses. Double jab for Waterson. She throws a flurry and a leg kick.
Hill blasts forward into the clinch landing punches, elbows and knees, but in the final couple of seconds Waterson is firing back too. We’re headed to the scorecards.
Decision:
Really good fight here, fought at a high pace with plenty of offense on both sides, and not much to choose between them, though Hill seemed to have the edge early, while Waterson found her groove in the later rounds.
The judges have made their decision, but it’s a split verdict…and it’s Waterson who gets the nod from two of the officials to emerge with the win (47-48, 49-46, 48-47).