Mesquita survives knockdown scare to armbar Mullins and stay unbeaten at UFC Vegas 119

Bia Mesquita preserved her undefeated record at UFC Vegas 119 on Saturday with one of the more dramatic finishes on the card, recovering from a serious knockdown scare to submit Melissa Mullins via armbar in the first round of their preliminary women’s bantamweight bout.

Mullins came out sharp and caught Mesquita clean early, cracking her with her chin high and sending her into trouble. Mullins moved quickly to capitalise, jumping on her stricken opponent and taking the fight to the floor with a top position. It looked like Mesquita’s unbeaten run could be in serious jeopardy.

But Mesquita, a world-championship-level Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, used the clinch to buy herself time and clear her head. Once on the mat with Mullins on top, she calmly went to work from the bottom, locking up an armbar and rolling until Mullins had no choice but to tap.

The victory moved Mesquita to 8-0 in her professional career and 3-0 inside the UFC, with all three of her octagon wins coming by submission. Speaking after the fight, she wasted no time calling for a step up in competition, specifically targeting Ailin Perez and a place in the top five of the bantamweight division.

“This is no place to shake your ass,” Mesquita said. “I’m going to kick your ass, girl.”