Lucie Pudulova took advantage of her return to UFC 278, after she defeated Wu Yanan in a brutal finish on Saturday’s main card.
It was a ground heavy strategy from the start but once Pudilova dragged the fight to the canvas in the second round she mauled Wu with submission attempts before hammering down on her with a series of devastating elbow strikes. The repetitive blows with Wu just stuck underneath Pudilova forced the referee to stop the fight with the official end time coming at 4:04 in the second round.
” I can’t believe that I’m back at the UFC,” Pudilova stated. “This fight was to go for grappling and to go for finish. I finished her with my elbows. Finally, I do this. I’m very happy .”
There was no hiding Pudilova’s game plan after she initiated a clinch early and then grabbed a well-timed takedown to put Wu on the canvas midway through the opening round. Pudilova quickly advanced into side control as she applied pressure on Wu but she wasn’t dishing out much damage as her offense largely stalled despite being in a dominant position.
Wu attempted to keep her distance in order to get her strikes, but she was unable to do so as Pudilova waited for the perfect moment to jump inside. Pudilova finally used the arm and head throw to get Wu to the floor. She quickly moved to her position to grab the back.
Pudilova then looked to the back for the choke, as Wu tried to flee but was stuck at the bottom. Pudilova moved to the guard after realizing Wu was outgunned during the grappling matches. She began throwing elbows and punches consecutively.
Once Wu turned to her side to lessen the shots she was taking, Pudilova began throwing elbows that came crashing down on her opponent’s head and that was ultimately enough to end the fight.
Following a disappointing four-fight losing streak that ended her previous stint with the UFC, Pudilova put together a 4-1 resume outside the promotion to come back and finally get her first win in the octagon since 2018.
