Ukrainian fighter Marina Moroz had much more in mind than Saturday night’s fight at UFC 272, but she still pulled off a dominating victory over former tag team partner Maria Agapova.
It was a grappling showcase of Moroz, who almost completed the first round submission submission before putting Agapova on the canvas and securing a head and arm choke to end the fight, which ended at 3:27 of the second round.
After that, Moroz was brought to tears when she spoke about the conflict going on in Ukraine after the Russian invasion, which began more than a week ago.
“If you know, there is a war in my country now, and my family [is] in Ukraine,” Moroz said. “I’ve had a tough week. I worry, I cry because my family is in a bad situation.
“Thank you to everyone who texts me, supports me, because this week has been hard for me. I want to cry because of this war in my country. Thanks everyone.”
As difficult as it is to even struggle at night with everything that happens at home, Moroz put in one of her strongest performances to date, facing a major challenge from Agapova after they previously trained together at American Top Team in Florida.
In the first exchange, Moroz sought to negate Agapova’s punch and put her on the ground, where most of the first round went. Frost constantly threatened with a rear naked choke, but Agapova was able to resist before finally slipping out of position.
Frost also almost blocked her hand, but Agapova was able to reach the end of the round.
It was a short run, as Frost wasted no time knocking Agapova down again early in the second round, but this time she moved forward to quickly grab a choke hold. As soon as Frost pressed her neck, Agapova grimaced before knocking, signaling the end of the fight.
It’s been almost two years since Moroz last competed, but she certainly made the most of her opportunity on Saturday night, scoring her third win in a row and also walking away victorious in a very emotionally challenging situation.
“I’m back. I’m happy,” Frost said. “I’m ready to fight again. Many thanks to everyone.”