Jennifer Maia utilized her technical striking Saturday to become the first opponent to defeat previously-surging flyweight contender Casey O'Neill.

The bout was part of the UFC 286 main card at The O2 in London and saw Maia (21-9-1 MMA, 6-5 UFC) defeat O’Neill (9-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).

The fight was largely a technical striking match for its duration. While O’Neill found success with her strikes, her combinations were shorter and less in volume than Maia’s. As O’Neill often fired single strikes, Maia would answer with two or three. O’Neill pressed the action, but Maia utilized her footwork to elude the pressuring foe.

Maia’s jab in particular found a home. When O’Neill tried to grapple her in Round 2, Maia reversed position against the fence. In Round 3, O’Neill pursued with an increased level of urgency. She found success with her strikes and range, though Maia bloodied her nose.

In the final minute, the two fighters opened up. Maia shot for a takedown and controlled O’Neill against the fence until the final 10 seconds. O’Neill landed a handful of significant punches in the waning seconds.

With the victory, Maia extends her winning streak to two. In November, Maia defeated Maryna Moroz by unanimous decision. The two-fight streak comes after three losses in the previous four fights, including a UFC 255 title challenge against then-champion Valentina Shevchenko.

O’Neill encounters her first MMA loss at age 25. She spent the months leading up to the fight recovering and readying after an ACL tear in early 2022. Her UFC victories to date include Shana Dobson, Lara Fritzen, Antonina Shevchenko, and Roxanne Modafferi.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 286 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 286.