Casey O’Neill choked Brazilian rival Lara Procopio out cold in their contest at UFC Vegas 29 on Saturday night, extending her unbeaten record to seven fights and setting the flyweight ranks on notice.
O’Neill took Procopio’s back in the third round at the UFC Apex, wrapping herself anaconda-like around her opponent and taking her to the canvas before squeezing her unconscious.
“There it is, it’s not often you see this… the end is nigh,” exclaimed UFC commentator Michael Bisping excitedly as O’Neill locked in the decisive chokehold.
After referee Chris Tognoni had waved off the bout, O’Neill shoved her flaccid rival aside before getting to her feet and raising her arms in celebration at a seventh victory in her fledgling career.
All the more impressive was that ‘King’ had submitted jiu-jitsu black belt Procopio in such brutal fashion.
“I was just stoked to choke out a blackbelt,” the Scottish-born Casey said in her post-fight interview with Bisping.
“Hopefully, my coach likes that sh*t… I’d like to have a couple months off right now to get better.”
Fighting out of Australia, the 23-year-old Casey is the 10th youngest name on the UFC roster.
She impressed on her UFC debut back in February with a second-round TKO of Shana Dobson – and after another strong finish on Saturday night, fans and pundits were tipping her for bigger things in the 125lbs ranks.
MMA reporter Mike Heck hailed O’Neill as “the real deal” while she was also described as a “legit” threat for the division currently ruled over by Valentina Shevchenko.
The real deal, Casey O'Neill. That was some performance against a very tough opponent. #UFCVegas29
— Mike Heck (@MikeHeck_JR) June 19, 2021
Casey O'Neill ????????????????????????????????????is legit. She's gonna be a problem in that division.
— Caoilte de Barra (@CaoiltedeBarra) June 19, 2021
She started her pro career off by winning the Eternal MMA 115lb belt, thend defended it twice. I wonder if she'll ever consider making the trip down there again. #UFCVegas29
“If you give me three months and people think I'm a problem now, just wait until you see what comes back in December,” O’Neill said afterwards.
"If you give me three months and people think I'm a problem now, just wait until you see what comes back in December."
— UFC News (@UFCNews) June 19, 2021
Casey O'Neill (@KingCaseyMMA) talks about her submission victory over Lara Procópio in her second UFC fight.
More #UFCVegas29 Results ⬇️:
After choking her latest rival unconscious, the message appears clear: don’t sleep on Casey ‘King’ O’Neill.
