ABU DHABI – Karol Rosa beat Lina Lansberg with a majority decision Saturday to open up the preliminary card at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi.
Take a look inside the fight with Rosa, who got back in the win column after a March loss to Olympic medalist and former title challenger Sara McMann.
Lina Lansberg vs. Karol Rosa
Result: Karol Rosa def. Lina Lansberg via majority decision (29-27, 29-27, 28-28)
Updated records: Rosa (16-4 MMA, 5-1 UFC), Lansberg (10-7 MMA, 4-6 UFC)
Key stat: Rosa outstruck Lansberg 160-100 and landed three takedowns.
Rosa on the fight's key moment
“I wasn’t expecting the fight to be that tough. Things got hard over there. When I got knocked down – it was my first knockdown in the UFC – I kind of had to be alert after that. At that point, I said, ‘I need to win this fight.’ Obviously, I’m happy I was able to get the win.”
Rosa on losing a point for an illegal knee
“It was a very quick thing – very in the heat of the moment. I really wanted to hit her, but I didn’t actually know she was in a four-point stance. I really didn’t see that happening. I really wanted to hit her that time. It wasn’t my intention – I would never hit her illegally. But in the heat of the moment, it was very quick for me to think through it.”
Rosa on what she wants next
“It would be really good to fight in Brazil. It would be really good if I was able to make it. I have a name in mind: Pannie Kianzad, I think is someone I have in mind that would be a good fight. I had her name in mind before. … Fighting her would be great, but also, I could bring in a good crowd.”
To hear more from Rosa, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 280.
