Bea Malecki made a successful Octagon debut earlier today (Sat., June 1, 2019) at UFC on ESPN+ 11 from inside Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden, when she finished Brazilian prospect Duda Santana via second-round submission (rear-naked choke).
Both women came out firing with straight punches down the pipe. Santana would eventually try to leverage her bigger frame and control Malecki in close quarters. It may have worked for a bit, but Malecki eventually turned the tides in the second round, reversed position, and transitioned into full mount during a takedown. From there, the Swede softened “Cowboyzinha” up, forced her to turn over, and eventually locked in the rear-naked choke finish.
Check out the highlights above courtesy of UFC/ESPN.
With this performance, Malecki made good on her UFC debut and enters the jam-packed women’s bantamweight division in fashion. The 27-year-old prospect also locked down her three-straight finish in as many professional fights. Malecki is going to encounter stiffer competition as she climbs the 135-pound ladder but this victory in front of a hungry Swedish crowd is a great step in the right direction.
For complete UFC Stockholm results and coverage click here.