The UFC 296 prelims just wrapped up and the fights are definitely delivering thus far. Most notably, we might’ve just witnessed the 2023 Fight of the Year as Irene Aldana and Karol Rosa put on an all-out war.
Aldana was coming off a lackluster performance against now-retired champ Amanda Nunes. This time, however, the No. 5 ranked women’s bantamweight contender displayed incredible toughness as she went toe-to-toe with Rosa in an absolute banger, winning a unanimous decision after three bloody rounds.
Joe Rogan: Irene Aldana vs Karol Rosa could be ‘Fight of the Year’
UFC commentator Joe Rogan got emotional during the post-fight interview and later explained how he felt about the fight.
“Man, I was so moved by that fight. Sometimes you see a fight where you know that they put out every fiber of their being inside that octagon, and that was one of those performances for both of those women. I mean, that was an insane fight,” Joe Rogan said during the broadcast.
“For me, that looked a lot like the women’s Fight of the Year for 2023,” said play-by-play commentator Jon Anik.
“That might have been the Fight of the Year, period,” Rogan responded.
Check out Irene Aldana’s post-fight interview below!
UFC 296 prelim results: Cody Garbrandt back on track
Basically every prelim fight delivered with several ending by stoppage. Former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt delivered a first-round knockout against Brian Kelleher, and Alonzo Menifield just took home the win against Dustin Jacoby by way of unanimous decision in the featured prelim.
Check out the full UFC 296 prelim results down below!
- Alonzo Menifield def. Dustin Jacoby via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Irene Aldana def. Karol Rosa via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Cody Garbrandt def. Brian Kelleher via KO (punch) – Round 1, 3:42
- Ariane Lipski def. Casey O’Neill via submission (armbar) – Round 2, 1:18
- Tagir Ulanbekov def. Cody Durden via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:25
- Andre Fili def. Lucas Almeida via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:32
- Shamil Gaziev def. Martin Buday via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 0:56
Read more: Pimblett’s harsh messege for the lowest paid UFC fighters: “Work harder, show personality!”
Read more: UFC 296 results: Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington
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