Andrea Lee and Montana De La Rosa at the UFC Louisville weigh-in. Photo Credit: Youtube/UFC
Popular flyweight contender Andrea Lee finds herself in a must-win situation at UFC Louisville, facing Montana De La Rosa in a rematch for the first time since 2019.
“KGB” Lee won that bout by unanimous decision, but had lost his previous four fights under the UFC banner, and Montana found himself in a similar situation, losing his previous three bouts, making the booking feel very much like a repechage bout.
Clearly the more aggressive one in the early going, Montana De La Rosa wasted no time in going on the offensive, landing punches and scoring a takedown, but Lee wasted no time either, reversing and getting on top, which allowed De La Rosa to go for a triangle choke and then an armbar, but Lee popped out and the two were back up against the fence.
De La Rosa came out from the fence to catch a kick and then applied a back-standing choke, but perhaps held on longer than necessary. It looked impressive, but Lee got out and, in advantageous position, landed a knee strike while Montana was getting to his feet. It was well-timed and legal. De La Rosa flashed a spinning back kick and had some success with his hands, proving that contrary to what one might expect, the fight was closer than it looked on the stand.
Between rounds, “KGB” Lee’s cornerbacks, Tony Kelly and Andy Nguyen, each kissed their fighter and encouraged them to press on. Early in the second round, Montana came forward, throwing jabs and fending off weak takedown attempts from De La Rosa. Montana broke the guard with an uppercut but did nothing after that. By the middle of the round the pace had noticeably slowed, with Lee taking the lead and De La Rosa fighting back with considerable success.
Again, Lee was encouraged by his corner between rounds, this time to show no respect for De La Rosa’s strikes and to land head kicks if he could. But in practice, Lee had to deal with De La Rosa fighting smart, catching kicks, and transitioning to his back for a crucial takedown in the third round. De La Rosa wasn’t landing hooks, but he was on top as Lee ran to the fence. Lee controlled his wrists to prevent De La Rosa from moving forward, but Montana soon landed a hook. Even more worrying, the clock was ticking away. In the next moment, Lee was down under a punch. With under two minutes left, the fight was slipping away. Lee managed to get to his feet and rock De La Rosa from above to stay in the match. With one minute to go, his career would be decided. De La Rosa took another kick to the body, but Lee hobbled and released it. With 30 seconds left, Lee needed the finish. Lee tried a jump knee, but Montana De La Rosa sealed the win with a takedown.
Official result: Montana De La Rosa defeats Andrea Lee via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
