HE BROKE HIS ARM@AndreMunizUFC
submits Jacare Souza in Round 1!!
#UFC262 pic.twitter.com/dH6tn41xhZ— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA)
May 16, 2021
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Andre Muniz
won’t soon forget his third
Ultimate Fighting Championship triumph.
The Dana White’s Contender Series alum scored the most significant
victory of his career to date at
UFC 262, submitting eight-time world jiu-jitsu champion
Ronaldo
Souza in the opening round of their middleweight clash at the
Toyota Center in Houston on Saturday night. Muniz (21-4, 3-0 UFC)
locked in an armbar 3:59 into Round 1, with an audible snap
bringing an immediate end to the contest. Muniz has won his last
seven professional bouts.
Souza, who is mired in a four-fight losing streak, was submitted
for the first time in his 37-bout professional tenure.
“I’m a fan of ‘Jacare’ since I was a kid,” Muniz said. “He’s my
idol. I hope he’s good. I want to let the UFC know I’m here to
stay.”
Souza (26-10, 1 NC, 9-7 UFC) started well, landing a takedown and
attacking with standing-to-ground punches on his fellow Brazilian.
Muniz eventually returned to his feet to land a takedown of his own
before transitioning to the ex-Strikeforce
champion’s back during a scramble. “Sergipano” was too high to
maintain that position, but when “Jacare” attempted to toss his foe
over his head and slide out the back door, he left his right arm
exposed. Muniz was able to keep the limb trapped and apply torque
until the Souza’s upper arm broke. Once it did, Muniz let go
immediately, but the damage had already been done.
Vannata Confounds Grundy
Lando
Vannata was successful in his featherweight debut, earning a
split decision over England’s Mike Grundy.
Chris Lee saw it 29-28 for Vannata and Marcos Rosales had it 30-27
for “Groovy,” while Patrick Patlan submitted a head-scratching
30-27 tally in favor of Grundy. The
Jackson’s MMA Acoma product has won three of his last five
Octagon appearances.
Despite Grundy’s best efforts, Vannata (12-5-2, 4-5-2) was able to
keep the majority of the fight upright with sturdy takedown
defense. When standing, Vannata held a clear edge in striking
volume by connecting with punching combinations, knees and kicks to
various levels. Grundy (12-3, 1-2 UFC) landed a couple hard right
hands but was unable to string any consistent offense together. All
told, Vannata defended 17 of Grundy’s 20 takedown attempts in the
contest.
Wright Overwhelms Pickett
Once Jordan
Wright got rollling, there was nothing Jamie
Pickett could do to stop him. “The Beverly Hills Ninja” earned
his 12th career finish, defeating his fellow Contender Series alum
via technical knockout 64 seconds into the opening round of their
middleweight clash. All told, Wright has secured 11 of his 12 wins
inside of a round.
Pickett’s evening went downhill shortly after he attempted to take
Wright (12-1, 1 NC, 2-1 UFC) down against the fence. The California
native defended well and then buckled his foe with a series of
elbows to the side of the head. Wright followed up with a barrage
of hammerfists before Pickett returned to his feet in survival
mode. Wright gave chase and landed a knee in close quarters before
throwing Pickett to the mat. From there, the 29-year-old battered
Pickett (11-6, 0-2 UFC) with a stream of unanswered
ground-and-pound until referee Kerry Hatley intervened.
Lee Armbars Shevchenko
Former
Legacy Fighting Alliance title holder Andrea Lee
snapped a three-bout skid in emphatic fashion, as she submitted
Dana White’s Contender Series alum Antonina
Shevchenko in a flyweight affair. “KGB” ended her opponent’s night with a triangle
armbar at the 4:52 mark of Round 2.
An entertaining sequence at the outset of the second stanza set the
stage for Lee (12-5, 4-3 UFC) to impose her will. After Lee
connected with a spinning back elbow during an initial exchange,
Shevchenko (9-3, 3-3 UFC) attempted to execute a throw. Lee was
able to assume top position in a scramble, where she locked in a
mounted triangle and then rolled to her back. Shevchenko was
trapped in that position for the rest of the bout, as Lee looked to
tighten the squeeze, landed elbows to the head and periodically
threatened with an armbar. It wasn’t until the waning seconds of
the period that Lee was able isolate her foe’s limb and elicit the
tapout with the triangle still in place.
Cachoeira Swarms, Finishes Mazany
Priscila
Cachoeira authored a huge momentum shift to come back for a
technical knockout victory over
“The Ultimate Fighter 18” cast member Gina Mazany
at flyweight. The
Parana Vale Tudo representative swarmed her reeling foe with
power punches against the fence to force the stoppage at the 4:51
mark of Round 2.
Mazany set the tone early behind takedowns and control from top
position. Cachoeira (10-3, 2-3 UFC) stayed busy from her back,
however, cutting Mazany open with an elbow after being grounded in
the second frame. When referee Mike Beltran ordered a standup once
he determined Mazany (7-5, 2-5 UFC) wasn’t being active enough from
top position, Cachoeira capitalized. The 32-year-old Rio de Janeiro
native attacked a fading Mazany with a flurry against the fence,
and with her foe doing little to defend herself, Beltan stepped in
to halt the bout.
Lutz Wins UFC Debut vs. Aguilar
Two-time
Dana White’s Contender Series alum Tucker Lutz
was successful in his promotional debut, earning a competitive
three-round verdict over Kevin
Aguilar at featherweight. All three judges submitted scorecards
in favor of Lutz: 30-27, 29-28, 29-28. “Top Gun” has won his last
12 professional outings.
Lutz (12-1, 1-0) ran out to an early lead on the scorecards, as he
was quicker to the punch and landed multiple takedowns over the
course of the first 10 minutes. Aguilar (17-5, 2-4 UFC) fought with
the appropriate sense of urgency in Round 3, and he had Lutz on the
retreat in the bout’s waning moments. However, it wasn’t enough to
sway the scorecards in his favor.
Giagos Rallies, Brabo Chokes Soriano
Christos
Giagos gave Sean
Soriano a rude welcome back to the Octagon, winning via
submission in a lightweight clash. “The Spartan” brought the
contest to a close 1:01 into Round 2, when he rendered his opponent unconscious with a brabo
choke.
In his first UFC bout since January 2015, Soriano (14-7, 0-4 UFC)
was sharp in the opening stanza. He twice stunned Giagos with
straight right hands while also connecting with crisp left hooks
and powerful leg kicks in a round that was contested primarily on
the feet. Giagos (19-8, 4-4 UFC) shifted gears at the right time,
as he landed a takedown early in the second frame and then secured
the fight-ending maneuver following a scramble on the mat.
