Casey O’Neill had a battle on her hands at UFC 271 but the undefeated flyweight prospect kept her winning streak going while sending Roxanne Modafferi into retirement in what will be her final fight.
The 24-year-old fighter with Scottish and Australian roots showcased a powerful striking game over all three rounds while landing a total of 174 strikes to get the job done. The judges inexplicably scored the fight a split decision despite O’Neill seemingly winning by a comfortable margin as she received a pair of 29-28 scorecards while Modafferi earned a 29-28 score of her own in defeat.
Afterwards, O’Neill unloaded on the Houston faithful who showered her with boos following the win.
“If you want me to be the bad guy then f*ck you, I’ll be the f*cking bad guy,” O’Neill shouted to the crowd. “It’s clear to me and to everyone, Roxanne put everything she had left into that camp. All the best for her after this sport .”
With Modafferi marching forward, O’Neill was measured with her approach to counter striking as she fired away with nasty boxing combinations that were consistently finding a home on the chin. Modafferi didn’t back down and continued to pursue her aggressively. She was eventually able to tag Modafferi in multiple exchanges.
While O’Neill actually started the second round with a bloody nose and a mouse under her left eye, she was still landing the far more effective shots but she had to be careful as Modafferi was consistently throwing out multiple punches in succession.
O’Neill started to put more power behind her punches as time went on, which led to several painful strikes that turned Modafferi’s head. O’Neill remained in control as she stuck behind a lightning quick jab that kept catching Modafferi, who was starting to show the wear and tear on her face.
O’Neill was a finisher through her three UFC fights. However, O’Neill displayed her full arsenal of feet and made Modafferi pay by constantly delivering a variety punches.
According to the broadcast, O’Neill ended the night with the most strikes thrown in a three-round flyweight fight in UFC history.
As for Modafferi, she was still smiling from ear to ear regardless of the result as she called it a career on Saturday night following 45 professional fights.
” I’m okay with that fight,” Modafferi stated. “I gave all that I had. I feel it’s now time to pass on the torch to my next generation. I am proud of who I am
