Issue 130

July 2015

Alex Chambers smashed her small window of opportunity with a plucky come-from-behind armbar to breathe new life into her career.

It was all or nothing for Alex Chambers in the third round at UFC Fight Night 65. Battered and fatigued with her Octagon career hanging in the balance, she snatched Kailin Curran’s arm to finish in outstanding fashion and announce herself in the growing 115lb talent pool.

‘Astro Girl’ certainly earned her gutsy victory in Adelaide, Australia because she fought on in the final stages, despite losing the opening two rounds convincingly. And that never-say-die attitude paid off for the gritty grappler, who latched onto a limb after initially being taken down. 

The 36-year-old – 12 years Curran’s senior – was left in no doubt about her situation heading into the final five minutes, as her corner read her the riot act after the second stanza. But Chambers stayed patient. Her slick ground skills enabled her to snag a limb and modify her grip midway through the technique to finally find an armbar. 

“They fired me up and told me my career was on the line,” Chambers said. “In the third I had a kimura grip and then switched it up to the armbar to get the submission win.

“I knew when I was on the ground and I had that grip I had to go for it, I had that kimura grip. I knew I had to give it all I had. I took the chance to breathe a little bit in case she escaped and I had to fight on.” 

Curran was lighting up Chambers, especially in the second frame, which could easily have been scored 10-8 . 

The diminutive Hawaiian must have thought she’d sealed the deal after landing crisp combinations and throwing the Aussie around for the best part of 13 minutes. 

But the 24-year-old soon succumbed to her second third-round defeat in the Octagon as jiu-jitsu purple belt Chambers seized her opportunity with some quick thinking for one of the most dramatic finishes on the card, and bagged her first $50,000 performance bonus.

“After the second round I knew I needed a finish to win. She came out fighting and I felt really gassed, probably because of an early morning start,” Chambers added.

“But you have to take your opportunities when they present themselves and while she was ahead, I needed that win. I needed to win in that round.”