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UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 23, 2021 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada
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Jessica-Rose Clark Comes Out On Top At UFC Fight Night 196

Oct 252021

“Jessy Jess” is back! Monster Energy congratulates Jessica-Rose Clark on her unanimous decision victory over Joselyne Edwards at UFC Fight Night 196 in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday night. In the main card fight in the women’s bantamweight division, the 33-year-old from Cairns, Australia, dominated her opponent on the ground to earn a victory by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).

UFC Fight Night: Costa vs Vettori took place on Saturday night with limited fan attendance at the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas. Broadcast live on ESPN+, the event featured 14 fights including the much-anticipated return to the Octagon of Monster Energy’s Clark.

Saturday night marked the first fight for Clark aka “Jessy Jess” (11-6) since her TKO victory over Sarah Alpar at UFC Fight Night 178 in September 2020. During the fight, the Australian MMA icon suffered a torn ACL in her knee that required surgery. Clark spent the past year recovering and focusing on her training. She faced a challenge in Joselyne “La Pantera” Edwards (10-4), a 26-year-old striking expert from Panama who has earned eight finishes, including six within the first round.

UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 23, 2021 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 23, 2021 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 23, 2021 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada

Right from the start, Clark landed a flurry of punches, followed by a swift takedown to take command in full guard. This set the tone for the rest of the fight, with “Jessy Jess” landing significant strikes and quickly taking the bout down to the mat – and controlling her opponent – at every opportunity.

 

After maintaining the upper hand during the first round with ground control, Clark relied on her superior wrestling throughout Round 2. After locking Edwards into a full mount, the Australian landed a punishing elbow before the end of the round. In the third round, Edwards attempted to fire back with elbows from the ground but found herself outwrestled by Clark’s iron-clad ground game.

 

The result was no surprise: At the end of Round 3, referee Keith Peterson pronounced Clark the winner of the 135-pound division fight by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).

“I feel good. I feel really good,” said Clark in her post-fight interview at UFC Fight Night 196. She also said that Saturday “was the perfect fight to show everything I’ve been working on.”

 

Going into detail about her return to the Octagon, Clark told the press: “It wasn’t as exciting as I wanted it to be, but I showed that I’m more than just a kickboxer and I’m happy about that. I’ve been working a lot on my wrestling and my grappling, and today was a huge accomplishment.”

 

Saturday night’s victory puts Clark on a two-fight winning streak and back in play after last year’s knee injury. The rest of the bantamweight division is officially on notice: Stay tuned for what’s next for “Jessy Jess”!

THIS ARTICLE FEATURES:

Jessica Clark New York City photoshoot Jessica-Rose Clark

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