Rising strawweight star Paige VanZant kicked off the UFC 191 main card Saturday night with a one-sided battering of Sydney’s Alex Chambers that was capped off with a third-round submission at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
“Obviously I worked a lot of technique for this fight, but it went out the window and I just brawled like I usually do,” VanZant said. “But I’m happy, I got a win.”
Pressure was the name of the game for VanZant in the opening round, as she kept the heat on Chambers from start to finish. Throw in a takedown and dominant work against the fence and it was a clear round for the Team Alpha Male standout, even though Chambers did land her share of shots. Unfortunately, the Australian didn’t have the firepower to deter VanZant.
Little changed in the second, with the exception of a brief knockdown scored by VanZant with a minute left. The ultra-tough Chambers recovered quickly, but there was no stop to the attack of “12 Gauge,” who put another dominant round in the bank.
Despite being up two rounds, VanZant went for the win in the third, and after getting Chambers to the mat, she quickly moved from a choke to an armbar, forcing “Astro Girl” to tap out at 1:01 of the final round.
