Short notice replacement Ramona Pascual gave a game and competitive effort in her featherweight bout against Josiane Nunes, but it was Brazil’s Nunes who used her speed and power to pound out a three-round unanimous decision win.
Scores were 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26 for Nunes, now 9-1. Pascual, who replaced Jennifer Gonzalez, falls to 6-3.
With both fighters throwing hard, there was plenty of compelling action in the opening stanza, and while Pascual got in some shots standing and scored a takedown with 90 seconds to go, two previous knockdowns by Nunes likely edged the round for the Brazilian banger.
Nunes’ laser-like left got Pascual in trouble again in the first minute of round two, and as the fight went to the mat, “Josi” nearly finished the bout. But Pascual shook the cobwebs loose and got back to her feet, albeit with a rapidly swelling right eye. With two minutes left, Pascual scored another takedown, buying herself some time before she went back to work from the top position. Meanwhile, Nunes fired off elbows, adding more points until the horn ended the frame, and she was in complete control in the final five minutes, allowing her to move to 2-0 in the Octagon.
Official Result – Josiane Nunes defeats Ramona Pascual via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)