The preliminary card for the UFC’s final Fight Island offering is underway from the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi. Three bouts are part of the history books with all contests getting decided as per the judges’ scorecards. However, in the 3rd fight featuring a women’s Bantamweight contest, fans saw Bethe Correia have an unfortunate loss in concentration. This gave them something sure to be remembered as a Fight Island moment.
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The incident took place at the end of the first of three rounds. At 4 minutes and 50 seconds into the fight, the UFC sounded the clacker to provide the customary 10-second warning before the end of the round.
Got to wait for the horn to stop fighting 😬 #UFCFightIsland3 pic.twitter.com/ds6C4XNh4N
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 25, 2020
Bethe Correia suffers a 10-second blitz in round 1
Here, Bethe Correia turned her face as though the round was over and dropped her fists. Her opponent Pannie Kianzad immediately caught her with a right hand. ‘Pitbull’ looked lost as she feebly raised her hands. However, she was unable to prevent a couple of left hands as she staggered backward.
A third left hand set up for the second right hand from ‘Kanzai’ which sent the yellow-clad fighter onto the fence. At this point, she regained composure and managed to hold her opponent and avoid any damage for the remaining three seconds.
At the end of the round, the referee said to Correia, “Beth you gotta wait for the horn.” The fighter had a sheepish smile on her face as she headed back to her corner.
‘Pitbull’ did not make a comeback and lost all 3 rounds as per 2 judges’ scorecards. However, she did not lose focus in the next 2 rounds. Most importantly, she waited for the horn to lower her guard and take her eyes off her opponent.
A new name to know at 135 – @PannieKianzad! 🇸🇪#InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi | #UFCFightIsland3 pic.twitter.com/WvjyHUVnz1
— UFC (@ufc) July 25, 2020
The defeat was 13th ranked Bantamweight Bethe Correia’s 5th loss in 8 fights since she beat Shayna Baszler at UFC 177. For 28-year-old Kianzad, it marked a 2nd UFC win and 1st UFC victory over a ranked contender.
What did you make of Bethe Correia’s lapse in concentration in her fight? Have you seen any other fighter drop their guard at the sound of the clacker instead of the horn?
Read: UFC Fight Night Prediction: Robert Whittaker vs Darren Till
Sources: Bethe Correia-Sherdog, Pannie Kianzad-Sherdog, UFC Rankings, ESPN MMA-Twitter, UFC-Twitter
