There's turmoil and absences surrounding several women's championships in the UFC, but at UFC 229 Saturday night in Las Vegas, several top-15 fighters displayed their skills.
#8 strawweight Michelle Waterson was looking to regain some of the steam she'd lost last year before back-to-back losses derailed her, but had a tall task ahead of her in #9 Felice Herrig. Waterson, who was offered and declined this fight in her pro debut, would overcome a size disadvantage to land some crafty takedowns and slice Herrig up from her back, setting up a unanimous decision victory.
After the bout, Waterson expressed her desire to be the first UFC Champion that is also a mother.
#9 bantamweight Aspen Ladd has been an emerging prospect, and took on her biggest challenge to date in former Invicta FC Champion and UFC title challenger Tonya Evinger. As it turns out, it wasn't much of a challenge, as Ladd dominated Evinger with unbelievable ground and pound in a manner in which the latter doesn't usually experience. After the first round victory, Ladd admitted that she knew thew two would end up fighting, but thought it would be back in their Invicta FC days.
On the Fight Pass prelims, #12 bantamweight Lina Lansberg took on the unranked Yana Kunitskaya, and was controlled throughout the duration of the bout, leading to a Kunitskaya unanimous decision victory. Kunitskaya is likely to hit the UFC top-15, but was admittedly unhappy about her performance.
You can see our full, live coverage of UFC 229 at this link, and make sure to check out our post-show podcast, which can be found on the sidebar, podcast platforms everywhere, and at this link.. You can also check out our weekly UFC Rankings Breakdowns over at FightfulSelect.com
