ONE 168 results: Alyse Anderson vs. Victoria Souza

American fans at the Ball Arena in Colorado witnessed top-flight atom-weight MMA as their home bet, Alyse Anderson, squared off with Brazilian rising star Victoria Souza.

This was an all-important match for both athletes, as it will determine their fate in the division and potentially inch them closer to a spot in the top five rankings. See the blow-by-blow action below.

Round 1: Less than 20 seconds into the match, Souza closed the distance and initiated a clinch battle. Then, 30 seconds later, Souza finally secured the takedown and put Anderson on the canvas. From there, the Brazilian maneuvered to a submission attempt while raining down ground-and-pound strikes.

But Anderson pulled off an impressive counter with a triangle choke attempt against Souza and transitioned into an armbar technique, but Souza survived those two submissions to continue the fight.

Moments later, the momentum once again swung, with Souza taking the back of Anderson and attempting a rear-naked choke. Souza cranked the face of Anderson in under a minute, but the American was able to survive with her toughness. This is a literal definition of a see-saw battle.

Round 2: Souza stunned Anderson with a strong jab before she changed levels and took Anderson's back early in the second frame. Again, Anderson countered with a triangle choke, but Souza quickly escaped the attempt.

While on the ground, Anderson maneuvered to various submissions, but Souza transitioned into an arm-triangle choke. Anderson survived by carrying her back on her backside to prevent more danger.

Souza still doubled down on finding the submission finish but, during the scramble, gave away the position to Anderson, finding her back against the mat. The position stayed until the round ended.

Round 3: The final round started off slow, with both fighters visibly gassed out, but Anderson still pressed forward until Souza initiated another clinch battle. But Anderson pushed away Souza, landed a solid elbow strike, and peppered her with combinations on the feet.

However, the Brazilian quickly jumped into another guillotine choke, but Anderson's grit was on full display and got out of danger. Anderson maximized his position on top by firing ground and pound strikes from the half-guard until Souza popped back up. The fight ended with Souza pushing Anderson against the cage and cruising until the final bell rang.

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ONE 168 Denver - Alyse Anderson vs. Victoria Souza official result

Victoria Souza spoiled the party in Colorado when she scored a unanimous decision victory over home bet Alyse Anderson at the Ball Arena in Colorado. The Brazilian contender survived two early submission scares from Anderson and willed her way into a grappling-heavy victory.

She returned the favor to 'Lil Savage' with several submission attempts and near finished to sway the judges to give her the nod. It was 'Vick's' third triumph under the promotion and her second straight victory. On the other hand, Anderson suffered her second straight setback under the world's largest martial arts organization.

Victoria Souza defeated Alyse Anderson via unanimous decision in their atomweight MMA bout.