Desiree Yanez Wins Contract at PFL Challenger Series 5

Judge's Vote: Yanez
Fan Vote: Yanez

No tiebreaker vote needed... Welcome to the PFL Desiree Yanez!#PFLonFubo pic.twitter.com/xXdHyOm7aq

— PFL (@PFLMMA) February 25, 2023

Eight women's flyweight fighters competed at PFL Challenger Series 2023 Week 5 but only one could earn a contract to compete in the Professional Fighters League's regular season.

The four-fight card was main evented by a 125-pound fight between Kaytlin Neil and Katherine Corogenes. Neil (7-4) looked to fight against the fence but Corogenes (3-2) was able to stay active with punches from the clinch inside the opening frame. Neil would slow down the fight in the second round and open up more on the feet, which led to it being much closer. Corogenes was docked a point for an eye poke in Round 3, which saw Neil close the round by taking the back of her opponent.

After some deliberation, the judges saw the fight in favor of Neil, who received three 29-27 scorecards but wasn't able to take home a PFL contract.

Related » PFL Challenger Series 2023 Week 5 Round-by-Round Scoring

Young Decisions Lavado

The co-main event was a 128-pound catchweight bout due to Sandra Lavado missing weight for her fight against Shanna Young.

Young (9-5) came out with a diverse striking attack led by her kicks at a distance that frustrated Lavado (11-4) and prevented her from closing the distance effectively. The second round would see Young secure a takedown on the "Peruvian Zombie" and control the fight for several minutes. Lavado would find some success striking late in Round 2 but was unable to keep the momentum as "The Shanimal" once again took the fight to the ground and took her opponent's back in the final frame.

Young was awarded a unanimous decision win with scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 in her favor.

Yanez Outduels Mazar

Desiree Yanez had a back-and-forth scrap against Maira Mazar and emerged the victor.

Yanez (7-4) came out aggressive and used her dirty boxing to control the opening round against Mazar (8-6), who was unable to get fully comfortable on the feet. The second frame would see Mazar take the back of "Dirty Dez" in a scramble and then threaten with solid punches, although a finish never came close to happening. Yanez would rebound with a strong final round by securing a takedown and finishing the fight doing damage on top.

After three rounds of action, the judges awarded the fight to Yanez with scores of 29-28, 30-27 and 29-28. The performance also won over the fans and the celebrity judges, who all voted for Yanez to receive a PFL contract. She will now compete in an upcoming season as a result.

Mauldin Puts Away Peralta

The first fight of the night saw Lisa Mauldin take on Helen Peralta and pick up the first TKO finish of her career.

Seconds into the fight Mauldin (5-3) immediately secured a takedown on Peralta (6-4), who was happy to look for submissions and strike from the bottom. This set the path the fight would follow as Mauldin repeatedly took the fight to the ground in each round, which was a solid way to differentiate her from the more even striking exchanges on the feet. The pace would wear Peralta out, who was defenseless in the third round and was overwhelmed by a flurry of punches while being mounted.

The fight was officially stopped at 3:51 of Round 3.