Tainara Lisboa shined in the opening bout of Saturday’s UFC on ABC 4, which took place at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C.
Take a look inside the first-round TKO result by Ulberg, who extended his current win streak to four, which includes three straight opening-round finishes.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 4.
Elated after her victorious debut
May 13, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Tainara Lisboa (blue gloves) celebrates after defeating Jessica-Rose Clark (red gloves) in a womens bantamweight bout during UFC Fight Night at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
“I’m very happy, I’m shining,” Lisboa said during a post-fight news conference (via FanSided). “This is the work of a lot of people. I come from a small team, but a team full of a lot of professionals. It’s so great to have this opportunity, and also it’s the dream of every athlete to be here in the greatest organization in the world to actually have this win, so I’m very happy.”
After a year of waiting, was Lisboa worried her UFC debut would never happen?
May 13, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Jessica-Rose Clark (red gloves) fights Tainara Lisboa (blue gloves) in a womens bantamweight bout during UFC Fight Night at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
“Yeah, I won’t lie to you if I said that didn’t cross my mind, because you get that long-awaited contract and then it doesn’t happen. So, I figured, well, why is it taking so long? Maybe is it not for me? But then I say, I haven’t given up to this point, so why give up now? And it was all worth it to have waited this long.”
On not having her fiancee in her corner for debut
May 13, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Tainara Lisboa (blue gloves) celebrates after defeating Jessica-Rose Clark (red gloves) in a womens bantamweight bout during UFC Fight Night at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
“Of course, it was difficult. I found out mid-camp that he wasn’t going to be here with me, but he put me in the hands of two amazing professionals. We worked really hard, we had time to adjust things. As you can see, how well adjusted and how well choreographed I am with my team. I was able to do it because it was not only my project, it was his as well, his dream, all these people. We made it happen, and there’s a lot of people behind us as you can see.”
Thoughts on her opponent Clark
May 13, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Jessica-Rose Clark (red gloves) fights Tainara Lisboa (blue gloves) in a womens bantamweight bout during UFC Fight Night at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
“I do have to say that I’ve been following her for a long time. I follow her on Instagram, so I follow her not just as a fighter but as a sportsperson, a figure as well. I thought it was a great thing when I got the call to fight her, because she would be a good matchup for me. So I was happy to be able to fight her. I think we had her down pat, and we understand. So, we know she’s a great striker, but whenever she feels pressured, she starts to stall a little bit, she comes for the clinch and you saw what happened, we were able to dominate.”