LAS VEGAS — Felice Herrig proved she’s more than just a pretty face.
Herrig shook off a standing choke in the first round and sunk in an armbar in the second round to earn the submission victory over Lisa Ellis on the final fight of the prelims at The Ultimate Fighter Finale on Friday at Pearl Casino Resort.
Ellis slapped on the choke early in the opening round and cranked as Herrig rose to her feet. Herrig appeared to be in trouble but slid out of it. In the second round, Herrig (10-5) had Ellis (15-9) in a few submission attempts before torquing Ellis’ arm and forcing her to tap.
Heather Jo Clark and Bec Rawlings had arguably the most entertaining round of the prelims. Rawlings, sensing she was down after two rounds, poured it on and closed Clark’s left eye. But Clark survived and came away with a unanimous-decision victory. All three judges scored it 29-28.
Joanne Calderwood remained undefeated with an impressive unanimous-decision victory over Seohee Ham. Calderwood (9-0), seeded second on the show before getting upset in the quarterfinals, used her length to keep Ham (15-6) at bay. Her spinning elbow and front kick, which staggered Ham in the third round, were the highlight of the fight, which was scored 30-27, 30-27, 30-26.
Tecia Torres put on a striking clinic in overwhelming Angela Magana en route to a unanimous-decision victory. Torres (4-0), who was seeded third on the show but lost twice, proved she’s no pushover, swarming Magana (11-6) with combinations and kicks.
Aisling Daly (15-5) overcame a difficult weight cut to earn a submission victory over Alex Chambers. One day after weighing in 2 pounds over the accepted 116-pound limit, Daly was the aggressor and shook off a takedown by going for an armbar. Chambers (4-2) escaped it but quickly was taken down. Daly attacked the arm again and got Chambers to tap at 4:53 of the first round.
In the opening fight, Angela Hill showed she might have deserved better than the lowest seed of the TUF Tournament. Hill (2-0) put on an impressive striking performance, peppering Emily Peter Kagan (3-2) with punches, kicks and knees on her way to a unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27).
