No. 12-ranked strawweight contender Tatiana Suarez will likely see a move up the rankings next week after an impressive first-round submission win over No. 9-ranked Alexa Grasso in the UFC Fight Night co-main event at Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile.
Getting the fight just where she wanted it, Suarez eliminated Grasso’s striking by being able to implement her ground game early on. And once the fight was on the mat, it was all Suarez, who took Grasso’s back and sunk in the rear naked choke that ended matters at 2:44 of the opening stanza.
With the win, California’s Suarez moves to 7-0. Guadalajara’s Grasso falls to 10-2.
Rising light heavyweight star Dominick Reyes made another statement, stopping veteran Jared Cannonier in the first round to make it three first-round finishes in as many Octagon bouts.
Both fighters came out swinging and kicking to start the bout, Reyes taking an early lead thanks to his volume, but Cannonier getting in enough shots to keep his foe honest. Just past the midway point of the stanza, Reyes stunned Cannonier with a left uppercut and he proceeded to chase his rubbery-legged foe until another left uppercut dropped the Arizonan hard to the mat, with referee Marc Goddard stepping in to stop the fight at the 2:55 mark of round one.
California’s Reyes moves to 9-0 with the win. Cannonier falls to 10-4.
CANNETTI vs RIVAS
Argentina’s Guido Cannetti spoiled the homecoming of Chile’s own Diego Rivas in bantamweight action, winning a three-round unanimous decision over his former TUF Latin America teammate.
Scores were 29-28 across the board.
After Rivas was greeted with a deafening roar from his hometown fans, Cannetti was able to take the crowd out of the fight with a solid first round that saw him control matters in the clinch and on the mat. Rivas was able to briefly lock up his foe’s arm, but Cannetti slammed his way out of trouble.
The two scrambled to the mat early in round two, Cannetti again taking over, this time from the top position. With 1:49 left, referee Leon Roberts restarted the stalled action, and once standing, Rivas scored a takedown and then sunk in a guillotine choke, only to see Cannetti escape and resume his control over the bout.
Showing an increased sense of urgency in the final round, Rivas went on the attack with his strikes, and while he won the round, he wasn’t able to pull off the victory, which lifts Cannetti’s record to 8-4. Cholchol’s Rivas falls to 7-1.
LEE vs MACEDO
Highly-touted flyweight Andrea Lee made an impressive UFC debut, winning a three-round unanimous decision over Veronica Macedo.
All three judges saw it 30-27 for Lee, now 9-2. Macedo falls to 5-2-1.
Using effective clinch and ground work and a busy striking attack, Lee was largely in control throughout the entire fight, but Macedo was competitive in all three rounds, particularly in the first, when she rattled the Texan with her kicks. Lee responded with a throw and she was never in serious danger again, as Macedo spent too much on time on her back defending kicks from “KGB.”
LUQUE vs LAPRISE
The son of a Chilean father, welterweight Vicente Luque thrilled the fans in Santiago and continued to impress in the main card opener, as he knocked out Chad Laprise in the first round.
A largely tactical first round began heating up when Luque began to chase Laprise down more aggressively, and with just under a minute left, he caught the Canadian and closed the show, dropping his opponent with a short left hand before ground strikes brought in referee Marc Goddard to stop the fight at 4:16 of the opening frame.
Brasilia’s Luque, who has finished his last six wins, moves to 13-6-1. Ontario’s Laprise falls to 14-3.
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