With her back against the wall, Karolina Kowalkiewicz delivered.
The former UFC strawweight title challenger entered Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 207 in her worst career slump. Kowalkiewicz (13-7 MMA, 6-7 UFC) looked to snap a five-fight losing streak in her rematch against fellow veteran Felice Herrig in the preliminary portion of the event.
Kowalkiewicz was able to pick up a win, submitting Herrig (14-10 MMA, 5-5 UFC) with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their contest.
The Polish fighter hadn’t tasted victory since defeating Herrig in their first outing back at UFC 223 in April 2018. Kowalkiewicz’s losing streak came against top contenders such as Jessica Andrade, Michelle Waterson, Alexa Grasso, Yan Xiaonan and Jessica Penne.
Meanwhile, Herrig, who made a return to the octagon after recovering from a knee injury, announced her retirement from the sport shortly after the bout.
Below you can watch Kowalkiewicz’s submission win:
Karolina Kowalkiewicz was overcome with emotion after earning her first finish in the UFC 😤 #UFCVegas56 pic.twitter.com/FvdpCjdrda
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 4, 2022
Up-to-the-minute results of UFC Fight Night 207 include:
- Karolina Kowalkiewicz def. Felice Herrig via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:01
- Joe Solecki def. Alex Da Silva via majority decision (28-28, 28-27, 29-27)
- Damon Jackson def. Dan Argueta via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Benoit Saint-Denis def. Niklas Stolze via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:32
- Tony Gravely def. Johnny Munoz Jr. via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:08
- Jeff Molina def. Zhalgas Zhumagulov via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
- Rinat Fakhretdinov def. Andreas Michailidis via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
- Erin Blanchfield def. JJ Aldrich via submission (standing guillotine choke) – Round 2, 2:38
