Highlights: Tatiana Postarnakova Outgrapples Montana De La Rosa to Earn Gritty Split Decision at PFL New York
When Tatiana Postarnakova was matched up with former UFC contender Montana De La Rosa, many expected it to be the toughest test of her professional career. That’s exactly how it played out. Over fifteen hard-fought minutes at PFL New York, both women had their moments, but it was Postarnakova’s wrestling, top control, and activity on the ground that ultimately convinced two of the three judges to award her a split decision victory (29-28, 29-28, 28-29). It wasn’t a dominant performance, but it was the kind of win that shows a fighter can adapt and find success even when things don’t go entirely according to plan.
The opening round was closely contested. De La Rosa looked sharp in the striking exchanges, landing the cleaner boxing combinations while mixing in kicks from the outside. Her movement and experience on the feet allowed her to control much of the distance early. Postarnakova, however, remained patient and waited for opportunities to bring the fight to the mat. Late in the round, she finally found success in the grappling, taking De La Rosa’s back and threatening with a rear-naked choke. Although the submission never materialized, the strong finish gave the Russian plenty of momentum heading into the second frame.
The middle round turned into exactly the kind of fight both athletes expected. De La Rosa continued to enjoy success whenever the action stayed standing, connecting with the more accurate punches and kicks. But every time Postarnakova managed to close the distance, the fight became far more competitive. Wrestling exchanges dominated the round, with both women reversing positions multiple times on the ground. Postarnakova wasn’t necessarily landing fight-ending shots, but her top control and steady ground strikes kept her busy enough to make every minute difficult to score.
The third round followed a similar pattern, though this time Postarnakova appeared to gain the upper hand for longer stretches. She secured another important takedown early and spent much of the round controlling the action from top position. De La Rosa defended well and looked dangerous whenever she created space to strike, but she struggled to consistently escape the grappling exchanges. While the American likely held the edge in pure striking throughout the fight, Postarnakova’s ability to dictate where the action took place—and her advantage in takedowns and ground offense—proved to be the deciding factors.
When the scorecards were announced, one judge sided with De La Rosa, but the other two rewarded Postarnakova’s relentless wrestling and positional control. It was the closest fight of the night and one that could easily be debated by fans, yet the result felt understandable given the statistics and the flow of the contest. By overcoming an experienced UFC veteran, Postarnakova earned one of the biggest victories of her career and continued her rise inside the PFL, while De La Rosa showed that even after time away from competition, she remains one of the toughest and most technically sound veterans in women’s flyweight MMA.
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