Two-Division Boxing Champion Kenia Enriquez Delivers a Dazzling Performance in MMA Debut
Two-division WBC world champion Kenia Enriquez delivered an impressive performance in her MMA debut at Combate Global’s all-female event, Combate Female, on Thursday night.
Valentine hit the mat twice during the opening round as Enriquez leaned on her world-class boxing skills against the undefeated mixed martial artist. It didn’t take long for Valentine to start fishing for takedowns, but she was unable to muscle the interim WBC flyweight titleholder down.
Throughout the second stanza, it became abundantly clear that Valentine could not hang with Enriquez on her feet. That prompted ‘Bloody’ to close the distance and clinch up against the fence. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to take advantage of the position as Enriquez appeared to be the stronger of the two.
Less than a minute into the third, Valentine secured her first takedown of the fight, putting Enriquez on the mat in the middle of La Jaula. Valentine immediately transitioned to the back and started looking for a rear-naked choke with plenty of time on the clock.
Enriquez managed to reverse the position with 30 seconds to go and spent the remainder of the round reigning down ground-and-pound strikes from Valentine’s guard.
Official Result: Kenia Enriquez def. Hayley Valentine via unanimous decision.
With the win, Enriquez gets her first win in MMA while handing Valentine her first loss.
