Juliana Lima uses wrestling to stymie Nina Ansaroff, earn first UFC win
Juliana Lima might have "Thai" in her nickname, but it was wrestling that got Lima her first UFC victory.
Lima defeated Nina Ansaroff by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) with suffocating wrestling Saturday at UFC Fight Night on FOX Sports 1: "Shogun" vs. Saint Preux in Uberlandia, Brazil. She took the debuting Ansaroff down in every round and outstruck her for the fight. Ansaroff was active from the bottom at times, but Lima had top position for most of the fight.
"She gave me the opening and gave me takedowns," Lima told UFC play-by-play man Jon Anik afterward. "I also love wrestling and I was prepared to go to the ground as well."
It wasn't the most exciting performance. The Brazilian fans showered the fighters with boos during the bout and even booed "JuThai" when she spoke English to Anik during the post-fight interview.
But while it probably didn't earn Lima (7-2) any new fans -- even in her home country -- a win is still a win. Lima, 32, was coming off a loss in her UFC debut to Joanna Jedrzejczyk in July, so a second straight loss could have brought about her release in a deep women's strawweight division. Instead, she's on a one-fight winning streak and showed she was versatile enough to win a bout in a tough division. Lima could get one of the Ultimate Fighter strawweight competitors next.
Ansaroff (6-4), who was actually the favorite heading into this bout, considered retiring from MMA before getting the call from the UFC, but the opportunity was too good to pass up. She just had trouble stopping Lima's wrestling and dealing with her pressure. Ansaroff, 28, did threaten on the ground. It just wasn't enough for the MMA Masters product to pull off a decision. The Florida native will likely get at least one more chance to prove herself in a deep division.
"I wasn't myself tonight, I wasn't feeling 100 percent," Ansaroff said. "But congrats to Juliana, she came there wanting it, and it wasn't my night tonight."
