The Singapore Indoor Stadium was the stage as Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm snapped a three-fight losing streak in devastating fashion. Arriving at UFC Fight Night: Holm vs Correia without a win since beating Ronda Rousey for the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship in Nov 2015, Holm left the crowd of 8,411 in raptures as she knocked out Bethe Correia with a stunning head kick. The contest had been relatively tepid up to that point, but the finish in the third round of the headlining bout was enough to earn Holm a Performance of the Night bonus.
Holm vs Correia marked the UFC’s second visit to Singapore after UFC Fight Night: Saffiedine vs Lim in Jan 2014. While that event featured Singaporean Royston Wee, the most prominent Singapore connection this time around came in the form of Rafael dos Anjos, Evolve MMA Fight Team member and seasonal instructor. Featuring in the first fight of the main card, the former UFC Lightweight Champion picked up an important win in his welterweight debut against the returning Tarec Saffiedine who, coincidentally, has also been on the Evolve roster.
Among the night’s other big winners were Japan’s Ulka Sasaki, who also received a Performance of the Night bonus for his submission victory against Justin Scoggins, and China’s Li Jingliang, who won by unanimous decision in the Fight of the Night against Frank Camacho.
From the days of Martial Combat to the rise of ONE Championship and two UFC Fight Nights, Singapore has come a long way as a venue for mixed martial arts. All we need now is a numbered UFC event with a title fight to cement our place as a bona fide MMA capital.
Full Results
Main Card
Holly Holm def Bethe Correia by KO (head kick and punch), Round 3
Marcin Tybura def Andrei Arlovski by unanimous decision
Colby Covington def Dong Hyun Kim by unanimous decision
Rafael dos Anjos def Tarec Saffiedine by unanimous decision
Preliminary Card
Jon Tuck def Takanori Gomi by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1
Walt Harris def Cyril Asker by TKO (punches and elbows), Round 1
Alex Caceres def Rolando Dy by TKO (doctor stoppage), Round 2
Ulka Sasaki def Justin Scoggins by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2
Lee Jingliang def Frank Camacho by unanimous decision
Russell Doane def Kwan Ho Kwak by TKO (punches), Round 1
Naoki Inoue def Carls John de Tomas by unanimous decision
Lucie Pudilova def Ji Yeon Kim by unanimous decision
