UFC 194 results: Tecia Torres too quick for Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger in decision sweep

Tecia Torres

LAS VEGAS – Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger had seven inches of height on “The Tiny Tornado,” Tecia Torres. But height doesn’t matter as much if there’s no one there to hit.

Jones-Lybarger (6-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) struggled to reach Torres (7-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in exchanges, leaving her hoping to get things done when they clinched. But Torres was dominant, taking a sweep of the judges’ scorecards for a trio of 30-27 scores.

The women’s strawweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC 194 event at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. It aired on FOX Sports 1 following additional prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ahead of a main card on pay-per-view.

Torres started outside against the much taller Jones-Lybarger, who helped take “The Tiny Tornado” off her feet early with a kick. But Torres was up quickly and circled both sides before landing a two-punch combo 45 seconds in. Jones-Lybarger tried lunging forward to catch Torres, but she typically wasn’t there. Instead, Torres was getting inside Jones-Lybarger’s reach to land solid punches, and her quickness kept her out of the UFC newcomer’s range. Midway through, Jones-Lybarger tied things up and looked for knees, and that slowed the pace the rest of the frame.

In the second, most of the first two minutes was spent in the clinch again until Torres finally broke free. But soon after, the two were tied up again, trading position on the fence. After they finally broke again, Torres landed nicely until Jones-Lybarger went for a takedown, and instead found herself on her back with Torres trying to pass from half-guard. Jones-Lybarger survived the round, but Torres’ edge in conditioning appeared to be a factor.

Torres landed a good right hand early in the second, then pushed Jones-Lybarger away with a front kick. Jones-Lybarger tried a kick of her own, but still struggled to catch Torres. With 90 seconds in the round, Torres lived up to her nickname, putting a tornado’s worth of punches on Jones-Lybarger before Jones-Lybarger tied her up in a moment of defense. They finally broke with 20 seconds left, and Jones-Lybarger landed a nice left down the stretch – but too little, too late.

“I know she’s a tough girl,” Torres said. “We knew we’d be faster than her and that my footwork was going to be key tonight.”

Up-to-the-minute UFC 194 results include:

• Tecia Torres def. Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Warlley Alves def. Colby Covington via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 1:26
• Leonardo Santos def. Kevin Lee via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:26
• Magomed Mustafaev def. Joe Proctor via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 1:54
• Yancy Medeiros def. John Makdessi via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Court McGee def. Marcio Alexandre Jr. vs. via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

For complete coverage of UFC 194, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan and Steven Marrocco contributed to this report on site in Las Vegas.)