UFC 257 results: Marina Rodriguez TKOs Amanda Ribas after initial confusion caused by referee

Marina Rodriguez pulled off the upset at UFC 257, but not without some confusion.

Although Rodriguez (13-1-2 MMA, 3-1-2 UFC) ultimately finished Amanda Ribas by standing TKO 54 seconds into the second round, it didn’t come without controversy.

In Round 2, Rodriguez quickly swung the momentum when she landed a series of flooring blows on Ribas. As Ribas hit the mat on all fours, she tried to scramble back up. However, the strikes kept on coming. Referee Herb Dean moved in, seemingly as though he would stop the fight. Despite hovering inches away from the action and making contact with Rodriguez, Dean never waived off the fight.

Rodriguez walked off, as a woozy Ribas picked herself up off the mat. In a moment of confusion, Dean informed Rodriguez the fight was still on. Rodriguez moved in on her opponent again. A couple of punches later, she finished the fight with a standing TKO.

She thought it was over #UFC257

https://t.co/r6bT8qKFgn pic.twitter.com/HJfZRnPIJO

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 24, 2021

With the victory, Rodriguez gets her first in three fights. After a 2-0-1 start to her UFC career, Rodriguez went 0-1-1 with a draw against Cynthia Calvillo and a loss to Carla Esparza. The Brazilian has won six overall fights inside the distance.

Entering the fight, Ribas was pegged by many as one of the budding female stars in the UFC. The defeat is her first under the promotion’s banner and only the second of her career. Her previous loss came in November 2015 against Polyana Viana.

Even after a stunning defeat Amanda Ribas stays smiling #UFC257 pic.twitter.com/x7tiZIiwu5

— MMA Junkie (@MMAjunkie) January 24, 2021

Up-to-the-minute UFC 257 results include:

• Marina Rodriguez def. Amanda Ribas via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 0:54
• Arman Tsarukyan def. Matt Frevola via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
• Brad Tavares def. Antonio Carlos Junior via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Julianna Pena def. Sara McMann via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 3:39
• Marcin Prachnio def. Khalil Rountree via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Movsar Evloev def. Nik Lentz via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Amir Albazi def. Zhalgas Zhumagulov (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)