Former ADCC champion Rodolfo Vieira put himself back in the win column in impressive fashion during his fight against Dustin Stoltzfus tonight at UFC Vegas 31.
The fighters were cautious, but still driven at the start of the bout, exchanging punches within the first few seconds. Stoltzfus drove Vieira back with jab-heavy combos, and Vieira came back with a big right hand. Vieira landed a solid kick to Stoltzfus’ lead leg, and Stoltzfus recovered and chased Vieira back with more punches. Stoltzfus landed a spinning back kick to Vieira’s thigh and followed it up with punches to the head. Both fighters landed right hands to the head, and Vieira connected with a jab to Stoltzfus’ already bloodied face. Stoltzfus landed a bit hit to the body, and both fighters connected with jabs. In the final minute of the round, Stoltzfus put more focus on kicks, sending a back kick to Vieira’s head and following it up with a front kick. In the final seconds, Stoltzfus charged forward, shooting for a takedown and driving Vieira against the cage, sending a downpour of punches onto Vieira’s head as the bell rang.
Vieira successfully shot for a double-leg and brought Stoltzfus to the ground at the start of round two, and Stoltzfus fought his way up against the cage. The fighters returned to the center and exchanged punch combos, Stoltzfus throwing a head kick into the mix. Vieira’s jab continued to cause problems for Stoltzfus as the round passed the halfway mark, but Stoltzfus was persistent in his efforts to jab Vieira back to the cage. Vieira attempted another double-leg with just over a minute to go in the round, but Stoltzfus easily avoided going to the ground. With fifteen seconds to go, Stoltzfus went for a takedown of his own, driving Vieira back against the fence and ending up in the clinch with his own back against the cage. The fighters stayed there until the bell.
Stoltzfus came out swinging at the start of round three, knocking Vieira with a big punch combo. Vieira, however, quickly landed a double-leg and brought Stoltzfus back to the ground. Stoltzfus got to his feet and Vieira tried to take his back, but slipped off and went down to guard while Stoltzfus rained down punches from above. Vieira drove Stoltzfus back against the fence and brought him back to the ground, Stoltzfus working on a guillotine briefly before Vieira pulled his head out. This time, as Stoltzfus got to his feet, Vieira managed to secure his place on his opponent’s back, locking in a rear naked choke as Stoltzfus stood up. Stoltzfus fell back, the slam knocking the choke firmly into place, and the fight ended there at just under two minutes into the third round.
Rodolfo Vieira was declared the winner by submission.
The win came after a tough loss for Vieira, who was submitted by Anthony Hernandez back at February’s UFC 258.
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