SBG Idaho Coach and athlete, Veta Arteaga, picked up her third professional MMA victory last night at Bellator 172, when she notched a third round TKO over Brooke Mayo.
The action was fast paced from the start, with both fighters utilizing active footwork and feints, to find their openings. Mayo (0-1, 0-1 BMMA) looked to operate behind an active kicking game to keep Arteaga (3-1, 2-1 BMMA) on the outside. Arteaga waited patiently before countering a Mayo low kick with a pair of hard right hands that sent Mayo tumbling backward. As Arteaga pursued, Mayo recovered to her feet, clinched, and executed a takedown against the fence. In the ensuing scramble, Mayo gained control of Arteaga’s back and hunted for a rear naked choke, in between bursts of ground and pound. Arteaga remained calm, however, and reversed the position. From there she went to work with hard punches inside the open guard, before she stepped back to allow Mayo to return to her feet. Arteaga attacked with hard punching flurries, before an accidental head butt from Mayo opened a small cut above her left eye. Referee, John McCarthy, called a halt to the action to examine the damage. McCarthy determined Arteaga safe to continue, and the action resumed in earnest, with Mayo landing a glancing left high kick, followed by several hard punching exchanges from both fighters as the bell sounded.
Round two began much like the first, with Mayo using her kicks to keep Arteaga at range. Arteaga continued to find opportunities for punching flurries, by timing Mayo’s kicks and countering over the top. A Mayo clinch led to a nice trip takedown against the cage, where Mayo was able to mount Arteaga and then transition to her back. Arteaga was again able to reverse the position, but found herself in a Mayo triangle soon after. Remaining composed, Arteaga once more freed herself and brought the fight back to the feet. Both women then punctuated the end of the round with hard flurries of punches, kicks, and knees.
Arteaga opened the third and final frame with urgency, as she took control of the center and pressured Mayo towards the cage. A Mayo kick was countered by an Arteaga flurry of hard right crosses and left hooked. Mayo responded with another glancing left high kick, that backed Arteaga off. Another clinch from Mayo was defended by Artega, who then answered with another hard flurry, of rights and lefts that had Mayo shooting for a double leg. Finishing the double, Mayo found herself in an Arteaga guillotine. Mayo defended and transitioned to mount and then the back once more. Arteaga again defended and reversed to top position, answering with hard punches from standing inside of Mayo’s open guard. Mayo kicked away and returned to standing, with her left eye badly damaged. Referee, John McCarthy, called another halt to the action to allow the cageside physician to examine her damaged eye. The doctor immediately waved off the fight, as Mayo’s eye was swollen completely shut. With Mayo unable to continue, Arteaga was awarded the TKO victory!!!
Way to go Veta, we are so proud of your success and improvement as a martial artist! Congratulations to her opponent, Brooke Mayo, for also showing amazing skill and determination! Both women put on an incredible show!
Special thank you to Coaches Freddy Arteaga, Matt May, and Michael Ransom for their work in the corner, helping Veta to another huge win!!!
