Lucia Szabova stays unbeaten with UFC debut TKO of Tainara Lisboa, eyes February return in Sydney

Lucia Szabova made the kind of UFC debut that gets a fighter noticed. The undefeated Slovakian, a former two-division OKTAGON MMA champion, stopped Tainara Lisboa by TKO at 3:20 of the third round in the women's flyweight opener of UFC Vegas 123 at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas on Saturday, October 31, then told reporters she wants to be back in the Octagon as soon as February.

The win moved Szabova to 13-0 as a professional and 1-0 in the UFC, according to MMA Junkie. Lisboa, who had dropped to flyweight looking to end a losing run, fell to 7-5 overall and 2-3 in the promotion.

How the fight went

Lisboa had some early success on the feet, but Szabova's pressure and clinch work set the pattern. She took Lisboa down repeatedly, hunted a kimura and an armbar, and piled up ground strikes, with Lisboa's best moments coming in scrambles and a late choke threat in the opening round, per MMA News and MMA Scene.

The second round belonged to Szabova on the mat, and she nearly finished it before the horn. In the third she shot for a takedown straight away, moved to side control, flattened Lisboa out and took her back. When the rear-naked choke was not there, she went back to elbows and punches until the referee stepped in. The official result is a TKO; MMA Junkie lists it as strikes, MMA Scene as ground-and-pound.

MMA Junkie reported that Lisboa's corner gave her a hard time going into the final round, and broadcasters Daniel Cormier and Laura Sanko questioned how the corner handled the situation after the stoppage.

$100,000 bonus on debut

The performance earned Szabova one of four Performance of the Night bonuses, along with main-event winner Tom Nolan, Julian Erosa and Joe Kropschot, the UFC announced on X after the event.

'This victory is for my son'

In the cage, Szabova got emotional talking to Cormier about the time she spent away from home during a camp that took her to Australia and Las Vegas.

"We have been training this and it's amazing for me to stand here after a fight, after 10 years of work," she said, as quoted by MMA Junkie. "This victory is for my son. I haven't seen him in one month." Her son, Dragon, stayed in Slovakia.

Targeting UFC Sydney

Speaking to the media afterwards, Szabova made clear she does not plan a long break. "I think this fight was a very good start, but this is only the beginning of the story," she said, according to Slovak outlet MMA Fanatik. "I would really like to fight again in a couple of months. The best would be in February at the event in Sydney, if it's possible."

The UFC's Sydney card is set for February 7, 2027, headlined by Quillan Salkilld vs Benoit Saint Denis. No opponent or date has been announced for Szabova.

She also said the finish was no accident. "My game plan was basically exactly what you saw in the fight. We drilled those sequences for more than a month," she said. "I'm never satisfied with a win on points. I'm the type of fighter who really wants to finish her opponent."

Szabova added that she wants to keep facing good opponents and work her way towards a title shot, and that she was proud to represent Slovakia: "Tonight I proved that even a small country can make itself known."

Who is Lucia Szabova?

Szabova started her run in OKTAGON in 2019 and became a double champion there, winning the women's bantamweight title last year and the women's flyweight title earlier this year before she left for the UFC, MMA News reported. UFC.com billed her as the first female Slovakian fighter in the UFC.