UFC 279 results: Irene Aldana earns first finish by upkick to the body with devastating shot to stop Macy Chiasson

Irene Aldana can add her latest victory to the record books after she became the first fighter in UFC history to earn a victory by upkick to the body after stopping Macy Chiasson at UFC 279.

The end came after the fighters split the first two rounds but with Aldana on her back, she launched a kick at Chiasson and her heel dug into the body. As soon as the shot landed, Chiasson doubled over in pain as she fell to the canvas holding her midsection as referee Jason Herzog rushed in to stop the fight.

The end came at 2:21 in the third round as Aldana picked up an impressive win in the 140-pound catchweight contest.

“We train all kinds of technique,” Aldana said about her finish. “Every kind of technique and I’m glad it came out tonight.”

Giving up a noticeable size and reach advantage had Aldana on the attack, marching forward and looking to close the distance on Chiasson. Aldana quickly established a slick lead jab and she also began peppering Chiasson’s lead leg with a punishing series of kicks.

As the first round was nearing an end, Aldana cracked Chiasson with a hard right hand that landed clean and put the former Ultimate Fighter champion on wobbly legs for a moment. The continued assault on the feet led to Chiasson making a failed attempt at a takedown that saw Aldana quickly seize on the opening to look for an armbar.

From there, Aldana was blasting away with elbows and still looking to wrap up the submission. There were moments with the armbar where it looked like Chiasson’s arm was completely hyperextended but somehow she managed to survive.

Chiasson attempted to change strategies by coming out aggressively to start the second round as she grabbed a quick takedown before taking Aldana’s back. From there, Chiasson started hammering away with elbows as Aldana was trying desperately to get out of the bad position.

It was an incredible comeback from Chiasson after losing the first round in lopsided fashion, which basically meant the final five minutes would determine the contest.

A few striking exchanges led to another takedown from Chiasson except this time she wasn’t able to control Aldana as much, which led to her posturing up over her opponent. That’s when Aldana uncorked the upkick that landed like a bomb to the body and Chiasson was done just a split second later.

Now 4-1 in her past five fights, Aldana continues to prove she’s one of the top fighters across any of the women’s divisions in the UFC and this particular finish shows she’s dangerous anywhere and everywhere inside the cage.