Fabiola Esquivel entered the Karate Combat pit on Thursday night looking for a knockout, and she got one.
Four more fights were featured for the ongoing season of Karate Combat and Esquivel was set to meet a newcomer in Ana Villanueva, who is a two-time Pan American Games gold medalist in karate. Esquivel was on a two-fight losing streak to names like Sarah Ait Ibrahim and Christina Kavakopoulou, but believed this was her opportunity to earn her first finish in the pit against a very game Villanueva.
Esquivel pressed forward and was aggressive throughout the first round of the fight, but Villanueva remained calm and picked her shots wisely.