Denise Gomes knows one day she'll be like Karolina Kowalkiewicz – fighting 'young lions' like her

LAS VEGAS – Denise Gomes beat Karolina Kowalkiewicz with a unanimous decision Saturday to close out the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 247 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Gomes, a heavy betting favorite who won for the second straight time.

Denise Gomes def. Karolina Kowalkiewicz

Result: Denise Gomes def. Karolina Kowalkiewicz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Updated records: Gomes (10-3 MMA, 4-2 UFC), Kowalkiewicz (16-9 MMA, 9-9 UFC)

Key stats: Kowalkiewicz lost for the second straight time after a four-fight winning streak – which came on the heels of a five-fight skid.

Gomes on the fight's key moment

"I was expecting a knockout or submission. But considering how tough she is and her track record, I know that it was a tough task. But I believe I grew to the occasion. I fought as a more mature fighter and I think the result shows."

Gomes on Kowalkiewicz's experience

"I think that if I'm getting matched with her, that means that I'm doing something (right). I'm still building my story with the UFC, and she had been through ups and downs and through most of the division's history. I think if the UFC is giving me the opportunities, it's because they see something.

"As much as I'm looking for my place in the division, and I have to face the more experienced opponents like Karolina, I know that if I do everything right, I'm going to be in their position in the near future, or in the long future. Respect is a thing that is super important. I have to respect them for what they did throughout their career and how they got to where they are because hopefully in due time, I'm going to be in the position that she is right now – fighting the young lions and having to defend my spot."

Gomes on what she wants next

"I don't really care much about the name of the opponent. I just want something that is going to push me forward. Karolina, before, she was ranked. She got tossed out of the rankings maybe like two weeks ago. I was expecting to get ranked (if I beat her), so hopefully maybe someone (next) who was ranked already. ... I want to move forward, and moving forward in our case right now is getting ranked. I believe that I did more than enough to deserve to fight a ranked opponent."

To hear more from Gomes, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC Fight Night 247.

UFC Fight Night 247: Best photos from Las Vegas

UFC Fight Night 247: Official scorecards from Las Vegas

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Denise Gomes knows one day she'll be like Karolina Kowalkiewicz – fighting 'young lions' like her