Going into Saturday night’s UFC Vegas 104 opener at the UFC Apex facility vs. Carli Judice (4-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC), Yuneisy Duben (6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) had plenty to build off of.
As you might recall, last September, Duben became the first prospect in the eight-year history of Contender Series to be awarded a UFC contract from Dana White without even needing to go backstage.
That night last summer, Duben, an underdog according to the oddsmakers, coming in with +900 betting odds, finished off Shannon Clark inside the opening round with an overhanded punch. This prompted a standing ovation from Dana White, who gave her some props.
“That is awesome!”, exclaimed the UFC CEO. “Congratulations! Incredible!”
Carli Judice, on the other hand, made the walk to the Octagon in 2023 on the Tuesday night MMA summer series, coming out on the losing end of a split decision after three rounds of action versus Ernesta Kareckaite (6-1-1 MMA). She faltered in her UFC promotional debut against Gabriella Fernandes (10-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) last June.
“Crispy” Carli Judice Gets UFC Vegas 104 Started With Amazing Head Kick
Judice’s nickname is “Crispy”. On Saturday night, that moniker couldn’t have been any more apropos.
Duben and Judice drew the first assignment of the evening at UFC Vegas 104 and the latter wasted very little time making the viewing audience’s jaws drop in the first fight of the night on ESPN+.
If you have yet to watch the Yuneisy Duben vs. Carli Judice fight from Saturday evening and have an ESPN+ subscription, do yourself a favor: Carve out some time early on in the new work week and press play on the streaming service. In short, this young woman is amazing inside the cage.
During the opening round of a scheduled three inside the famed Octagon, Judice stalked Duben before landing a question-mark kick. Although she absorbed a combination from her opponent, Carli Judice kept her foot on the gas pedal and scored with a left-handed punch before wobbling Duben with another left hand. A well-timed kick to the head ended the fight emphatically for her.
Carli Judice Scores $50K Bonus in Post-Fight Awards
“The shoe is on the other foot!”, exclaimed UFC blow-by-blow commentator Brendan Fitzgerald. “Carli Judice starting the night out with a first-round knockout.” Fittingly, Fitzgerald pointed out that the gym Carli Judice trains out of in Lafayette, LA operates under the name Headkicks MMA.
After the fight, Judice met with the media backstage at the UFC Apex facility to discuss what led up to the electrifying finish.
“It was a quick fight,” Carli Judice began. “I felt great from the minute I got here until right now, but I had high energy the whole time. I am a high-pace fighter, high-volume fighter and also a high-power fighter, so I knew that I was going to put a pace on her, whether it went the whole 15 minutes or not. I was going to put a pace on her that she’s never seen before, because that’s what I do, so I knew that’s how I was going to fight and that’s pretty much what I did.”
In so doing, the victorious Carli Judice received a cash advance to the tune of $50,000 (USD) during the post-event press conference for the Performance of the Night Award. She was one of four fighter to receive such a bonus over the weekend.
Well deseved bonuses! 👏
Andre Lima, @PedritaUFC, Carli Judice, and Carlos Vera each won $50K after their performances at #UFCVegas104! pic.twitter.com/9nXlM4b7xj
— UFC (@ufc) March 16, 2025
More Girl-Power After Carli Judice Got Her Hand Raised
Immediately following the Yuneisy Duben vs. Carli Judice fight took place, more women’s MMA action was held in the Octagon with a contest at bantamweight between Josiane Nunes (10-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) and Priscilla Cachoeira (13-6 MMA, 5-6 UFC).
Cachoeira finished Nunes in less than three minutes’ time with an uppercut. With this result, UFC Vegas 104 became the first show in promotional history to start its itinerary with two straight first-round knockouts in the women’s division.
Final Thoughts
Not much more needs to be said about the first fight of UFC Vegas 104 on Saturday except this: Whoever Carli Judice is booked to fight next, that competitor needs to go into the film room and study this past weekend’s fight as soon as she can.
