UFC Fight Night 73 results: Amanda Nunes steamrolls Sara McMann in Round 1

Amanda Nunes

NASHVILLE – A lapse in defense provided Amanda Nunes the opening she needed to take out onetime title challenger Sara McMann.

When McMann (8-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC) let her guard down momentarily after a missed leg kick, Nunes (11-4 MMA, 4-1 UFC) greeted her with a big right hand that set up a submission finish.

The women’s bantamweight bout was part of the main card of today’s UFC Fight Night 73 event at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. It aired on FOX Sports 1 following prelims on FOX Sports 2 and UFC Fight Pass.

The official stoppage came at the 2:53 mark of the first round as Nunes forced McMann to tap to a rear-naked choke. It was Nunes’ second straight win since a TKO setback to onetime title challenger Cat Zingano.

McMann now drops back-to-back fights for the first time in her professional career.

In the buildup to her bout with Nunes, the Olympic silver medalist McMann talked up a rematch with champ Ronda Rousey, who defeated her in February 2014. But as with Rousey, she was unable to utilize the wrestling skills that won her international glory. Nunes kept her at bay with stiff punches and refused to give up a takedown.

Nunes had plenty of time to load up on a right hand when McMann spun around after missing a leg kick. The punch brought McMann to her knees, and Nunes took the back before advancing position.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 73 results include:

• Amanda Nunes def. Sara McMann via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:53
• Ray Borg def. Geane Herrera via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Uriah Hall def. Oluwale Bamgbose via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:32
• Chris Camozzi def. Tom Watson via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-26, 29-27)
• Dustin Ortiz def. Willie Gates via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 2:58
• Frankie Saenz def. Sirwan Kakai via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 30-27)
• Jonathan Wilson def. Chris Dempsey via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:50
• Marlon Vera def. Roman Salazar via submission (triangle choke) – Round 2, 2:15
• Scott Holtzman def. Anthony Christodoulou via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 2:40

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 73, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s Matt Erickson contributed to this report on site in Nashville.)