On this day in 2023, an upset in the strawweight division made history.
UFC 290 produced one of the best cards of the year with Alexander Volkanovski capping the night off with a statement win over Yair Rodriguez.
There were plenty of other highlights on the card as Alexandre Pantoja dethroned Brandon Moreno in a stunning flyweight title fight and Robbie Lawler ended his career with one more devastating finish.
Along with Dricus du Plessis, who stopped Robert Whittaker to earn a middleweight title shot, the other performance of the night bonus went to an unlikely recipient.
Denise Gomes stunned Yazmin Jauregui to end her 10-0 run in just 20 seconds
At UFC 290, Denise Gomes came in as the underdog for her strawweight matchup with the undefeated Yazmin Jauregui that took place on the prelims in Las Vegas.
Mexico’s Jauregui had already recorded back-to-back wins inside the Octagon, and at just 24 years old, she looked to be one to watch at 115 pounds.
Despite suffering a loss on her debut, 23-year-old Gomes was another contender to keep an eye on, but as a sizable underdog in this clash, the Brazilian would have to try and hand her opponent her first loss.
The Brazilian clearly paid little attention to the betting odds as she immediately came out and connected with her first few strikes to hurt and drop her opponent in the opening 10 seconds.
Gomes poured on the pressure, unleashing shots against the fence to record the fastest finish in strawweight history, ending Jauregui’s 10-0 run in just 20 seconds.
There may have been some protesting from Jauregui in the immediate aftermath but with Gomes pinning her opponent and continuously landing damage, there could be no complaints.
Denise Gomes admitted that even she was surprised to put her opponent away that quickly
Every fighter that steps inside the Octagon believes that they have the right tools and have done the work to get their hand raised.
While Denise Gomes was confident that she’d emerge victorious, she didn’t have a problem admitting that even she was surprised that she put Yazmin Jauregui away in 20 seconds.
“It was a surprise for me (to finish that fast),” Gomes told the media in her post-fight interview. “I knew that I had the potential – I was going to come into the UFC and actually break some records. But to actually start like this is a very cool thing.”
Gomes went on to lose her next fight before bouncing back and earning three consecutive wins to claim a spot in the division’s top 15 rankings.