It was far from the most exciting fight, but Tatiana Suarez came out on top over Amanda Lemos in a battle of high-ranked strawweights during the Noche UFC prelims.
The first round featured a lot of Suarez pressing Lemos against the fence looking for the takedown. After a few minutes of attempting -- a span that also included a low blow and a missed fence grab -- Suarez was able to take Lemos down and hold her there for the final minute of round one.
This pressured continued into the second round, with Suarez scoring another pair of takedowns and keeping Lemos pressured and stuck, threatening a guillotine choke at one point. Lemos was able to lock her legs around a standing Suarez and threaten a choke in the closing seconds of the second round, but time expired.
Suarez continued to execute her gameplan, and while Lemos at one point was able to turn things around on the ground, Suarez took control right back. Lemos landed a couple of late elbows and ground-and-pound in the bout's final minute, but it wasn't enough.
Tatiana Suarez Uses Grappling To Control, Earn Decision Over Amanda Lemos At Noche UFC
This win is a rebound for Suarez after coming up short in a women's strawweight title shot against Weili Zhang at UFC 312 this past February, which was the first loss of Suarez's MMA career.
Lemos has now lost three of her last five.