At UFC Austin, Veronica Hardy overcomes a late surge by Jamey-Lyn Horth to win by decision.

In the opening bout of Saturday’s UFC Austin, Canadian flyweight Jamey-Lyn Horth made her second appearance in the octagon, against Venezuelan fighter Veronica Hardy.

Hardy, née Macedo, had her husband Dan Hardy, a former UFC championship challenger with a wealth of expertise, on her side. Regarding Horth, she traveled to Mexico in front of UFC Austin to train with champion Alexa Grasso.

Horth of Squamish, British Columbia, took the lead early in the cage, stepping forward by half a stride as Hardy stayed outside. Hardy was unable to pound Horth after he slipped, so they resumed their mutual sensing. Horth delivered a kick to the body that struck; Hardy’s retort to the body also struck with a similar thud. Horth was slightly alarmed by a caught kick from Hardy, but she managed to get loose. Neither lady really held the upper hand after half a round, but Hardy made a connection after a brief exchange. The audience cheered “Hardy, Hardy” as she backed Horth up against the cage and unleashed a barrage of lefts and rights before Horth managed to escape.

Horth was happy with her debut up a weight class, but this was not the start she had planned. With little over a minute remaining in the round, Hardy came dangerously close to dropping Horth, although with a slight slip. Then, as Horth complained of being poked in the eye, Hardy launched an onslaught. Although the two continued to fight, the referee finally ruled that it was time for Hardy to remove her eyelashes, but she declined a medical appointment.

In the second round, Horth went on the attack, pursuing Veronica Hardy, who was obviously faster than him. Horth demonstrated strong lateral mobility and took several large swings, but Hardy stayed on her bike and was hitting the air. After they reunited after more than two minutes, Hardy emerged victorious in the fight, even though Horth seemed to accept his fate. But they weren’t down for long, as Hardy delivered a particularly sharp elbow as they struggled for head position against the fence.

Horth won the subsequent ground match, but Hardy’s aggressive bottom play kept her from winning. The crowd gasped as Hardy struck with an upkick, but Horth ate it and continued on.

In the third round, Horth fired back when Hardy kicked her, demonstrating how fierce both women could be. Horth fired knees and leaned on Hardy to take the bout to the fence. Horth responded with a shot off the break after Hardy made a connection up top. Horth fired an elbow over the top to bring the battle back to the fence and tie the knot. But time was not on Jamey-Lyn Horth’s side. With two minutes remaining in the round, Horth was most likely down in the fight and working for a takedown. Before Hardy eventually made his getaway, he would exchange jabs with the other man. Horth then gently lowered Hardy with an elbow, allowing her to stand again. One more clinch, and there was hardly a minute left. Horth successfully threw, Hardy, though, was immediately back on her feet. Hardy emerged victorious from another attempt at takedown as Horth’s throw went awry, but they were quickly back on their feet.

Even if the judges were divided at the end, Hardy had obviously done enough to win.