Reneau survives early beating to submit McMann in 2nd round
Once again, Sara McMann was dominating until she wasn't, and Marion Reneau made her pay for it.
After eating several dozen punches in a lopsided Round 1, Reneau rallied to rock McMann on the feet, then finish her with a triangle choke on the mat 3:40 into the second frame of their bantamweight bout at Saturday's UFC on FOX 28 in Orlando.
The 40-year-old Reneau is now unbeaten in her last four, a streak comprising three stoppage victories and a majority draw opposite Bethe Correia.
Que lutão, amigos! @BelizeanBruiser se recupera na luta e finaliza @Sara_McMann!#UFCnoCombate pic.twitter.com/cgaFKutJDo
— Combate (@canalCombate) February 25, 2018
As she's been wont to do, McMann charged in for a takedown behind a flurry of punches early and had her way with Reneau on the mat from side control when she wasn't peppering her with leather from mounted crucifix position to pull ahead on the scorecards in the first.
But as she's been wont to do, McMann fell asleep at the wheel in the middle stanza, practically plodding into a counter right hand from Reneau that put her in survival mode. The 37-year-old McMann's wrestling instincts kicked in as she recovered enough to bring Reneau to the mat, only for the latter to slap on the triangle choke she's made her calling card and secure the tapout.
McMann - a former bantamweight title challenger - has now gotten the short end of two straight comeback second-round submissions, bringing her UFC record to an even 5-5.