Karolina Kowalkiewicz took another step back towards a strawweight title shot as she edged out Felice Herrig in a three round battle to cap off the UFC 223 prelims.
The split decision for Kowalkiewicz put an end to Herrig’s four fight win streak, but she definitely didn’t go away easy in this pivotal matchup at 115 pounds.
It was a very strong start for Kowalkiewicz as she continuously beat Herrig to the punch with better accuracy, landing several stinging punches throughout the opening round.
Herrig countered by slowing down the pace by using a strong body lock but once the fight actually hit the ground it was Kowalkiewicz who transitioned into a beautiful mounted triangle choke. To her credit, Herrig quickly scrambled free before the horn sounded.
The back and forth battle continued into the second round but Kowalkiewicz consistently landed with better power and accuracy while Herrig was showing incredible toughness during the exchanges.
While Herrig definitely seemed to be the stronger fighter in the clinch, it was Kowalkiewiczh who still managed to land good inside knees and elbows to do damage against the cage.
Counter-right, two knees to the body and the elbow over the top follows it up! Beautiful striking by @KarolinaMMA! #UFC223 pic.twitter.com/SnDR7gDUgr
— UFC (@ufc) April 8, 2018
Kowalkiewicz continued to feed Herrig a steady diet of punches and elbows any time the former “Ultimate Fighter” competitor would step forward to attempt a combination. Perhaps to her detriment, Herrig wasn’t throwing multiple punches in the exchanges but she did manage to land her best shot of the fight late in the final round when she popped Kowalkiewicz and sent her stumbling backwards.
Herrig pressed forward but ended up back in the clinch rather than throwing strikes and that’s essentially where the fight came to an end.
Ultimately, Kowalkiewicz survived that late scare and ended up winning a split decision
Kowalkiewicz has now won her last two fights in a row as the former title contender looks to get back into the race for the belt considering she already holds a win over the current champion.
“I’m with Rose [Namajunas], I hope she wins,” Kowalkiewicz said. “One day, I hope to fight for the title again.”
