UFC Sacramento main event: Michelle Waterson chokes out Paige VanZant in one
Former Invicta atomweight champion shows her credentials as a strawweight with a quickfire submission victory over hometown favourite Paige VanZant in Saramento
MICHELLE Waterson may be known to the MMA world as 'The Karate Hottie', but she proved she has more strings to her bow with a stunning first-round submission of Paige VanZant at UFC on FOX 22.
Waterson stepped into enemy territory in VanZant's home town of Sacramento, California, and dominated the fan-favourite from the start of the fight in an eye-catching display that put the rest of the strawweight division on notice.
Waterson outstruck VanZant early using her karate skills - most notably her side kicks - to keep '12 Gauge' at range.
And when the fight ended up at close quarters, Waterson was able to block one of VanZant's go-to moves, the head and arm throw, before hitting the very same move herself to help win the fight.
Waterson executed a perfect head and arm throw, landing in the perfect position to lock up a body triangle with her legs and a rear-naked choke with her arms as she applied the fight-ending submission.
VanZant refused to submit to the hold, battling hard to free herself before eventually being choked out by Waterson's squeeze as referee John McCarthy stepped in to end the contest at the 3:21 mark of the first round.
After the fight, Waterson said she received all the motivation she could possibly need from her five-year-old daughter, who inspired her to victory.
"My daughter told me that I would be her favourite fighter if I won tonight, so I had to make it happen!" she grinned after her win.
Speaking about the throw that set up her win, she explained: “She’s known for that head and arm throw, so I kinda wanted to see if I could throw it on her!
"I know she's real scrambly, so we were working really hard on chain submissions and just staying calm when she's trying to scramble, because she's really good at it."
And while she didn't have a specific target for her next fight, she made it clear she has her sights set on the top.
“Whoever the UFC gives me (next), I’m ready.
"And you know what? I’m not dreaming. I’m wide awake, so bring it!"