Paulina “Firefox” Granados captured her first amateur title with a hard-fought Split Decision victory on Friday night at Garcia Promotions: “Cage Combat 12” in Humble, Texas. Granados edged out Stephanie “The Cylone” Alba in a rematch for the Cage Combat 110-pound women’s championship.
Granados controlled the early rounds with her striking and clinch work, but Alba came on strong in the later rounds and she showcased much-improved striking in addition to her formidable ground skills. After five rounds, it was Granados who earned the decision victory to remain unbeaten in her career.
Granados (4-0-0) opened the fight with quick kicks to the body and backed Alba (2-2-0) up to the cage. She kept her pinned against the fence for much of the round and landed short knees to the legs and body. Alba managed to break away and the fighters traded punches before the bell.
Early in round two, Granados dropped Alba with a hard right hook and she followed with more strikes from top position on the ground. Alba recovered quickly and eventually worked her way back to her feet. Granados flurried with a big combination of punches and Alba fell to her knees again. Granados finished the round on top in side control.
Alba was able to take the fight to the mat in round three and she wound up on top after a scramble. Granados worked for an armbar from the bottom and Alba escaped by spinning into an inverted triangle choke. She kept Granados trapped in the choke for quite some time until Granados stood. Alba landed one-two hook combinations and the round ended in a clinch.
The pace began to slow in round four and Alba appeared to be the fresher fighter on the feet. She was able to land combinations that bloodied Granados’s nose and the fighters traded more hard punches. Granados landed overhand rights in the final minute, but Alba continued to counter effectively and she backed Granados up on more than one occasion. Alba scored a takedown shortly before the bell.
The tired fighters continued to battle back and forth on the feet in the final round and the bout ultimately went to the scorecards. One judge saw the fight 48-47 for Alba, while the remaining two scored it 49-46 for Granados, who earned her second win over Alba in the process. The fighters previously faced off in January 2011 and Granados prevailed via three-round Unanimous Decision.
Winner: Paulina Granados by Split Decision (49-46, 49-46, 47-48) after five 3:00 rounds. She improves to 4-0-0 and becomes Cage Combat 110-pound amateur women’s champion.
(Photo Credit: Lori Rodriguez)