In winning her UFC debut, Canadian bantamweight Melissa (Scare) Croden showed you don’t want to spend too much time with her in the cage.

Facing Tainara (Thai Panther) Lisboa on Oct. 18 in Vancouver, Croden had a slim 27-25 edge in significant strikes in the first round and a 33-13 advantage in the second. It was one-way traffic in the third, with Croden ahead 39-4 in significant strikes in the round before referee John Cooper stepped in to end the punishment with 28 seconds remaining.

“I’ve always been a slow starter on my feet. That’s nothing new,” said Croden. “A lot of people were speculating that it was the nerves of my UFC debut but honestly it felt like any other fight.”

Some timely advice from her corner after the first round, about moving her feet more, helped her get into the

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