Chelsea Chandler got back in the win column in emphatic fashion, submitting Priscila Cachoeira by first-round armbar on the prelims of UFC Fight Night 278 at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas.
The victory marked Chandler's first finish since her UFC debut nearly four years earlier, and moved her UFC record to 3-3 and her overall MMA record to 7-4.
"I had a feeling the armbar would be there," Chandler said after the win. "It was going to be that or a rear-naked choke. I'm really happy with the results. I felt like I was good standing with her, but I knew if I took her down, it was one-way traffic. If I'm standing with her, it's kind of whoever is going to hit each other first, and I knew if I took her down, that was my easiest way to victory."
Chandler previously earned a post-fight bonus for a TKO win over Julija Stoliarenko in her UFC debut, but between that breakout moment and the Cachoeira bout, she dropped three of four fights and missed weight twice, including a win over Josiane Nunes and a loss to Yana Santos.
She also suffered defeats to Norma Dumont and Joselyne Edwards during that stretch.
Reflecting on the turnaround, Chandler said, "I put a lot of pressure on myself, and the people that I've lost to are the top in this division," and added that after treatment, "It's good to be able to go to training and not be injured all the time and believe in yourself and be able to push harder."
