RIYADH — Canadian flyweight Jasmine Jasudavicius extended her winning streak to four fights with an impressive unanimous decision over Brazilian Mayra (Sheetara) Bueno Silva on a UFC Fight Night card Saturday.
All three judges scored it 30-27 for Jasudavicius (13-3-0).
The 35-year-old from St. Catharines, Ont., was the busier fighter, scoring with more strikes and taking Bueno Silva down in all three rounds. The bout ended with Bueno Silva, who was returning to the flyweight division, tied up like a pretzel underneath the Canadian.
Jasudavicius, who has won seven of nine UFC bouts including six of the last seven, came into the bout ranked 12th among flyweight contenders and will move up with the win.
Bueno Silva (10-5-1 with one no-contest) was ranked seventh among bantamweight contenders.
The two made history at the ANB Arena, becoming the first female fighters to appear on a UFC card in Saudi Arabia. Saturday marked the UFC's second show in the country, following an all-male card in June that saw former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker knocked out Ikram Aliskerov.
"Such an honour to be able to do this," said Jasudavicius.
Sarah (Cheesecake) Moras, another Canadian, became the first woman to win a UFC bout in the United Arab Emirates in September 2019 when she stopped Llana Jojua in the third round at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi.
Saturday's main event featured former middleweight champion Israel (The Last Stylebender) Adesanya and France's Nassourdine (The Sniper) Imavov. Adesanya, who was born in Nigeria but fights out of New Zealand, is currently ranked second among 185-pound contenders while Imavov is No. 5.
The fight marked a return to the 125-pound class for Bueno Silva after a three-fight winless streak that included an unsuccessful bid for the vacant bantamweight (135-pound) title against American Raquel (Rocky) Pennington at UFC 297 in January 2024 in Toronto.
The 33-year-old Bueno Silva went 2-2-1 as a flyweight at the start of her UFC career before moving up to bantamweight.
Jasudavicius, introduced as a "brawler," walked out to Steppenwolf's "Magic Carpet Ride" for her seventh fight since February 2023.
The two, no strangers having trained together in Florida several years ago, traded early leg kicks with Bueno Silva stalking Jasudavicius. The two went to the ground with Jasudavicius, on top, fighting off a choke.
Jasudavicius improved her position, trapping Bueno Silva's arm, and finished out the round in top position. Bueno Silva's face showed damage after the round.
"Absolutely beautiful," Jasudavicius was told by her corner.
Bueno Silva landed body punches and elbows in the second round but was taken down with under two minutes left. The round ended with Jasudavicius punching from above.
Bueno Silva's corner told her in no uncertain terms that she had lost the first two rounds and needed to stay on her feet and keep boxing.
It was more of the same in the third with Jasudavicius on top when the bout ended.
"She's tough as nails, I knew it was going to be a tough fight," Jasudavicius said after the win. "She fought for the title before at the weight class up (above). So let me tell you where that puts me. Come on baby, I want that (flyweight belt)."
Valentina (Bullet) Shevchenko is the current 125-pound champion.
Jasudavicius earned her UFC contract with a September 2021 win over Julia Polastri on "Dana White's Contender Series," becoming the first Canadian woman to earn a contract on the show.
She has not been beaten since September 2023 when she broke an orbital bone 90 seconds into a decision loss to Tracy Cortez.
Jasudavicius trains at Niagara Top Team, whose co-owner Chris Prickett is also her fiancé. A wrestling and MMA coach, he got her into the sport at the age of 26.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 1, 2025
The Canadian Press
