They can't all be blockbusters. The original main event, bantamweight championship contender Cory Sandhagen versus the returning TJ DIllashaw, was cancelled when Dillashaw got injured, then the co-main event of Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone taking on Diego Sanchez was changed to Cerrone vs. Alex Morono when Sanchez was unceremoniously fired from the UFC and then went on a wild tirade on social media.

The UFC then made a main event out of Marina Rodriguez vs. Michelle Waterson on only a week's notice. Both women are natural, ranked strawweights but due to the timing, the bout took place at flyweight. It shows that the depth of talent in the organization is so deep that even without stars, they can put on a compelling feature bout.

In Waterson, the UFC has a veteran of the women's strawweight division who has been with the company since 2015. Going into the fight she had a record of 18-8 with four of those losses coming in the UFC to the elite of the division. At 35, her status as a gatekeeper to the championship has been somewhat confirmed, however the inconsistent nature is more to do with her karate fight style; of all competitive martial arts, it's the one that has the most variable success rate.

As for Rodriguez, she's a hot up-and-comer that arrived in the UFC in 2018 and had since lost only one of her seven in the organization – but has somehow managed to have two draws. She's of a new generation of female fighters that fight a true MMA style.

This difference in ethos was clear from the opening frame of the main event. Waterson's base, as already mentioned is karate, and she takes to UFC bouts with that point-scoring mentality. As the shorter fighter, she began with range finding kicks rather than jabs; Rodriguez responded by charging her down and applying pressure combinations.

Every time Waterson engaged, it was one strike at a time or one that was a feint that was followed up by the real strike. Her accuracy and power is fearsome and Rodriguez respected it – but only to a degree.

By the second round, Rodriguez had Waterson's rhythm figured out. She would absorb the first hit knowing a second wasn't in the chamber, then close the distance to prevent Waterson from being able to kick and start doing damage from the clinch.

It's a testament to how good Waterson's karate is that this game plan only had limited effectiveness. Repeatedly Rodriguez would try and close the distance only to get clocked with Waterson's trademark sidekick; it would land with so much force that Rodriguez would have to back off and recover.

Going into the fourth round, Waterson and her corner were aware Rodriguez had now won three out of the five main event rounds with her brawling style so to win she would need a finish. Ninety seconds into the round, Waterson got her first takedown and put pressure on Rodriguez against the cage.

Waterson must have been mad that she didn't try this earlier. Rodriguez had no answer and, when the two fighters got up when the bell rang, she looked incredibly tired. Unfortunately, keeping Rodriguez on the ground didn't bring Waterson any closer to getting a win in material terms.

In the final round she stayed on her feet to actually hunt for a knockout and nailed a fatigued Rodriguez with some sensational kicks. Early on, Waterson landed a head kick and then a body kick that got the UFC announce team to audibly wince both times and, roughly half way through the round, commentator Jon Anik pointed out that there was a protrusion on Rodriguez' jaw.

She stayed standing – and kept her hands higher than ever – and weathered the final round. Ultimately Rodriguez won by unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46) and it was well deserved. However, post-fight, the doctors confirmed that something serious had happened to Rodriguez jaw meaning she could be sidelined for a long time.

Rodriguez and Waterson were put in the main event because the UFC lacked available headliners. In the space of 25 minutes, they made themselves the headliners.