Carli Judice TKOs Jeisla Chaves in Round 1 at UFC Sacramento
Carli Judice stopped Jeisla Chaves by TKO at 1:39 of Round 1 on the UFC Sacramento main card. The body kick folded Chaves at Golden 1 Center and gave Judice her fourth straight win.
The official result at UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs. Rodrigues was a TKO by a kick to the body and follow-up punches. Referee David Shurley stepped in after Judice swarmed on the canvas.
Judice improved to 7-2 overall and 4-1 in the UFC. Chaves, nicknamed “A Braba,” suffered the first loss of her professional career and fell to 7-1 and 1-1 inside the promotion.
The finish started with the midsection. Judice, the Lafayette, Louisiana, fighter nicknamed “Crispy,” had already been kicking the body before a straight kick to the liver put Chaves on her knees near the fence.
Punches followed immediately. Sherdog described a perfectly placed front kick and a flurry that left Shurley no choice.
It was the kind of stoppage Judice has been hunting since a split-decision debut loss to Gabriella Fernandes. She has now beaten Yuneisy Duben, Nicolle Caliari, Juliana Miller, and Chaves in order.
Chaves came in unbeaten, including a Contender Series win and a June split decision over Duben in her UFC debut. Judice had already knocked Duben out, which made Saturday a stylistic test more than a mystery.
Oddsmakers treated it that way. Judice was a heavy favorite in the -550 to -600 range, and the Brazilian never got her boxing going.
The 27-year-old flyweight made that clear when Michael Bisping met her in the cage. She was not talking like a prospect hoping to sneak onto another prelim.
“This is a freaking dream,” Judice said. “It couldn’t have gone any better.”
Then she asked for the ranking that still is not next to her name. Valentina Shevchenko holds the UFC women’s flyweight title, and Judice remains outside the official top 15.
“I want top 15 next. Give me a shot at that. I want to fight more.”
Four wins in a row at 125 pounds is the argument. Two of those wins are finishes, including Saturday’s liver kick, after she had to grind out a unanimous decision over Miller in February.
The Carli Judice TKO does not create a title fight. It does put a 4-1 UFC flyweight on the short list of names matchmakers can use when they want a ranked opponent who will stand and trade.
Chaves has to start over after eight professional fights without a loss, depending on how regional records are counted, and a 1-1 UFC mark. The body work that bothered her early never gave her time to solve the range.
She leaves Sacramento on a four-fight streak, with a first-round body-kick stoppage and a public request for the top 15.