NEWARK, NJ - APRIL 18: Felice Herrig and Paige VanZant grapple in their women's strawweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at Prudential Center on April 18, 2015 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/Getty Images)

Few fighters have crossed over into the mainstream conscious like Paige VanZant, but those successes have somewhat eclipsed her UFC career. Not that it matters, though. “PVZ” has established herself as a fighter whose tough as nails yet with holes in her game, so every fight is viewed as a potential thriller with little title implications.

But for all of PVZ’s star power, it’s hard to deny the big storyline going into this UFC on ESPN+1 match-up is the domestic violence incident opponent Rachel Ostovich had to deal with not too long ago. Ostovich had a fractured orbital! But she insisted on fighting tonight! How’s that for grit?

From the outset, Ostovich was flexing tons of takedown muscle, clocking PVZ with an overhand right and throwing her to the mat again and again. That was the story of the first round, and even some of the second.

For a quick sequence, VanZant threatened with a chain of heelhooks and leglocks, but it was otherwise all Ostovich…

…Until Ostovich made the tiniest mistake in Round 2, which allowed PVZ to scramble to her back. First came the choke attempt, then the punches from back-mount, then the armbar, and soon Ostovich was tapping.

Great fight, with an especially great ending sequence.

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