Getty Nate Diaz & Dana White
The featured prelim bout of UFC 258: Usman vs. Burns on Saturday was Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and multiple ADCC world champion Rodolfo Vieira locking horns with Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez in an important middleweight matchup. Hernandez is the type of strong-willed ruffian who charges straight at his opponent until he gets the finish, but Vieira was a massive favorite in the fight thanks to his incredible ground game and other elite-looking attributes.
In fact, it was thought heading into the fight that the undefeated Vieira might actually possess one of the strongest submission games in the UFC, and that the fighter could be on his way to becoming one of the biggest names in the sport.
While it looked like things might be headed that way early in his fight vs. Hernandez, Vieira eventually got tagged by “Fluffy” with a hard strike and never really recovered.
That one big punch to Vieira’s face changed the fight completely, and the Brazilian never got his legs back under him.
Once Vieira was hurt, “Fluffy” poured it on.
So Vieira’s vast credentials as one of the top submission artists in the world suddenly became quite meaningless, and the 31-year-old couldn’t keep from tapping out to his opponent in the stunning upset.
It was one of the most incredible sudden submissions in recent MMA history.
You can watch the submission below.
According to Sebastian Vendel-Martinez, the odds of “Fluffy” grabbing the submission win were 30/1 (or -3000).
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UFC World Hyped About Huge Upset
UFC superstar Nate Diaz was watching the action. One of the most popular action stars in the sport today, Diaz liked what he saw at UFC 258.
UFC president Dana White had told fans before the event that he expected a solid scrap between the two UFC stars. He was totally right about that, and he reminded his many social media followers about it just as soon as the featured prelim fight was over.
MMA superfan Steve-O liked what he saw from Vieira and Hernandez. The popular comedian called the fight “unbelievable”.
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‘Submission of the Year’ and Other Reactions
Meanwhile, UFC heavyweight contender Tanner Boser express how epic the fight was to him, too.
UFC welterweight star Alam Jouban seemed to believe a performance bonus was due. Jouban posted, “Give that man some money!”
UFC bantamweight star Marlon “Chito” Vera is no stranger to massive huge upsets. Last year Vera shockingly defeated “Suga” Sean O’Malley via round one stoppage. But even Vera was impressed with the upset win by Hernandez.
It’s only the second month of 2021, but UFC welterweight Michael Chiesa hailed the victory as the “submission of the year”.
Finally, UFC welterweight Paul Felder was almost speechless about the tap.
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