Irene Aldana earns huge reactions from Miesha Tate and Amanda Nunes after beating Karol Rosa in a bloody scrap
After being overlooked throughout fight week, Irene Aldana vs Karol Rosa stole the show on the UFC 296 prelims.
In the penultimate fight of the prelims, Aldana and Rosa threw down in what turned out to be a Fight of the Year contender. The two fighters unofficially landed a combined 349 strikes, while Rosa set a UFC women's bantamweight record for the most leg kicks in division history.
MMA Twitter, including former bantamweight champions Amanda Nunes and Miesha Tate, unsurprisingly had a lot to say about the fight. Nunes congratulated Irene Aldana, her last opponent, for a 'great comeback' by posting:
"Congrats @IreneAldana_ what a come back 👏"
Nunes also expressed appreciation for both fighters by suggesting that they should be awarded a Fight of the Night bonus.
Tate, who recently picked up a dominant win over Julia Avila, also congratulated Aldana while suggesting that they could meet in the octagon.
Tate wrote:
"@IreneAldana_ great fight 👀. Maybe I will see you soon #ufc296"
In the post-fight interview, Joe Rogan complimented the former title challenger and mentioned on the broadcast that the fight was one of the best he has ever seen in person.
Though the post-fight bonuses have yet to be announced, it would take an incredibly compelling and competitive matchup on the UFC 296 main card for Aldana and Rosa to not receive another paycheck.
Irene Aldana vs. Karol Rosa result
After a lackluster performance against Amanda Nunes at UFC 289, Irene Aldana bounced back in a big way with a unanimous decision win over Karol Rosa in one of the best and bloodiest fights of 2023.
Though Aldana closed as a modest favorite, Rosa got the early lead by landing a succession of leg kicks on the Mexican. Rosa even managed to force Aldana down onto the canvas on multiple occasions by kicking her lead leg out from under her.
Aldana was able to rebound after a rough Round 1 to win the last two rounds, as all three judges saw the fight the same way and scored the bout 29-28 in favor of the 35-year-old. Both women wore the damage of the fight by the final horn, with black eyes and blood gushing from their bruised faces.
After the fight, Aldana claimed that a knee injury had hampered her in fight camp, preventing her from switching stances in fear of Rosa kicking her bad leg.