Anthony Hernandez withstood Rodolfo Vieira’s initial storm, exhausting the decorated grappler before making a big turnaround – and adding a big penalty to his cap – by finishing a guillotined choke in the second round of the UFC 258 preliminary fight.
Bloody and disoriented, Vieira shot for a takedown and found himself caught in a submission that yielded a gentle pat at the 1:53 mark in the middle frame and left Hernandez bettors richer as a -500 underdog.
Check the finish.
Hernandez, a purple belt in jiu-jitsu with none of Vieira’s gold medals, had problems since the beginning of the fight, giving up on the mount after giving up on a takedown. Vieira transitioned to an armbar and took off. But in all positions, Hernandez remained calm and broke free. And when the two got back to their feet, the disparity between their attacking skills couldn’t be more evident. Hernandez chased Vieira and punched him with punches, hitting a right that surprised the Brazilian. At the end of the first round, it was clear that Vieira was completely gassed.
With nothing in the tank, Vieira shot for an early fall in the second. But a quick transition to the back left him very high on Hernandez’s torso and he slipped. This gave Hernandez another opportunity to drop his fists and feet, and he faced Vieira’s ascent with a direct kick to the head. One elbow opened a large cut, and the desperate shot sealed the finish.
Hernandez left UFC commentator Joe Rogan – a big fan of hand-to-hand fighting – thrilled as they processed the turn later.
Hernandez recovers after a technical knockout loss to Kevin Holland in his last fight, while Vieira suffers the first loss of his professional MMA career after seven wins, two of them in the octagon.