TAMPA — Canadian flyweight Jamey-Lyn Horth, fighting for the second time in six weeks, lost a unanimous decision to Miranda (Fear The) Maverick on a UFC Fight Night card Saturday.
All three judges scored it 29-28 for the American.
It was a grinding, unspectacular victory with Maverick blunting Horth's attack by clinching at the fence and controlling her on the ground.
Horth agreed to fill in for the injured Tracy Cortez, ranked 11th among UFC 125-pound contenders, just four days after her split-decision win over Ivana Petrovic on Nov. 2 in Edmonton.
Horth (7-2-0) is now 2-2-0 in the UFC.
The all-American main event at Amalie Arena features former interim welterweight champion Colby (Chaos) Covington, currently ranked sixth among 170-pound contenders, against No. 9 Joaquin (New Mansa) Buckley.
Horth was a plus-500 underdog.
Maverick grabbed the 34-year-old from Squamish, B.C., in a clinch at the fence midway through the first round, looking for a takedown. Horth went down briefly but bounced back up and the round ended back in a clinch at the fence.
Horth was warned after the first round for an illegal elbow.
The second round saw the shorter Maverick again look to clinch Horth at the fence in search of a takedown. Horth reversed position and got Maverick to the canvas, looking for a rear-naked choke.
Maverick took Horth's back only to see the Canadian reverse position in a back-and-forth round.
The two stayed on their feet early in the third round with Horth moving forward. But Maverick saw an opening and landed a takedown, earning more control time.
Maverick kept Horth on her back until the last minute when Horth got up and landed some strikes.
Maverick (15-5-0) has won four straight since a unanimous decision loss to Canadian Jasmine Jasudavicius at UFC 289 in Vancouver in June 2023. The 27-year-old is 8-3-0 in the UFC and has figured in the rankings in the past.
Maverick has won six of her last seven outings. Her three UFC losses have come at the hands of Maycee Barber, Erin Blanchfield and Jasudavicius, all of whom are currently ranked in the division's top 15.
Maverick was the fifth southpaw opponent in a row for Horth, who previously held flyweight titles in both the Battlefield Fight League and Legacy Fighting Alliance promotions.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 14, 2024.
The Canadian Press
