Irina Alekseeva, a promotional newcomer from Russia, made a name for herself at the UFC Vegas 72 weigh-in, albeit for the wrong reason: she missed weight for her bantamweight boit against Stephanie Egger. However, the card still went on at a 140lb catchweight, and Alekseeva put on a show that left everyone in awe.
From the get-go, Alekseeva attacked Egger, pressing her against the cage and throwing punches with ferocity and volume. Egger did her best to cover up, but Alekseeva’s attack was relentless, and she was not going to let up. Egger tried to tie up with her and take her back, but Alekseeva rolled for a leg, and she had a good position to crank on a kneebar.
Despite Egger’s best efforts to defend and move position, Alekseeva’s kneebar was too much, and she forced Egger to tap out at the 2:11 mark of the first round. Alekseeva was elated with her victory, celebrating by jumping up on the octagon.
日本でもこの立ちバックのときに足の間にくるっと膝十字にいくの普及してほしい。
Irina Alekseeva vs. Stephanie Egger pic.twitter.com/yxdIvMKz1K— オリベイラの謎石 (@oliveira_stone) April 30, 2023
With this win, Alekseeva improved her overall record to 5-1 and became the third consecutive newcomer on the UFC Vegas 72 card to win in their debut, alongside Jamey-Lyn Horth and Marcus McGhee.
While Alekseeva’s debut was nothing short of impressive, her inability to make weight is concerning. The UFC has strict guidelines for weight-cutting, and missing weight can have serious consequences, such as losing a percentage of one’s purse.
Alekseeva locked up the submission in round one 🔒 #UFCVegas72 pic.twitter.com/3BfBkW3vnf
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 29, 2023
Alekseeva was fined a percentage of her purse for missing weight against Egger. As such, Alekseeva must address her weight concerns and figure out how to make weight moving forward if she wishes to continue fighting in the UFC.
