MIAMI – Luana Pinheiro beat Michelle Waterson-Gomez with a split decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC 287 at Kaseya Center in Miami.
Take a look inside the fight with Pinheiro, who won for the ninth straight time and handed Waterson-Gomez her third straight loss.
Luana Pinheiro vs. Michelle Waterson-Gomez
Result: Luana Pinheiro def. Michelle Waterson-Gomez via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Updated records: Pinheiro (11-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC), Waterson-Gomez (18-11 MMA, 6-7 UFC)
Key stat: Waterson-Gomez outstruck Pinheiro 70-48 and stuffed all five of her takedown attempts.
Pinheiro on the fight's key moment
“Kicking actually hurts your opponent, but it hurts you as well. The important thing is that that was a very important factor in the fight. That’s something that I’ve been training a lot in my camp. She’s a kicker, meaning that I have to kick her so that I take that away from her. The more I kick her, the less that she’s going kick me. That kick (when I fell) was more of a push, so it was more on the momentum. I knew she was going to kick, so I was waiting for it. We were expecting it.”
Pinheiro on nerves when the decision was read
“I know she’s an experienced fighter and this wass going to be a battle for three rounds. I knew we were going to go the distance. We went the distance, but when it comes to a point that you’re going to have a decision, there is some moments of hesitancy there. But my coaches looked at me and said, ‘Hey, you won.’ And I thought that the knockdown first round and the way I kicked her, I thought that was a determining factor. (My corners) looked at me and said, ‘You won.’ I felt very confident about that.”
Pinheiro on what she wants next
“I want to stay active. I had that hiatus a little bit because of an injury to my knee, but I want to keep active – two or three fights more in the year. My focus solely in my life was actually to fight (Waterson-Gomez). She was the step that I needed to overcome. And all I thought about was her. Now we’ll look into what the UFC’s going to do, what my manager’s going to do, and what they’re going to give me after (this win). After all, that is their job.”
To hear more from Pinheiro, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.
