Turning up the heat as the fight wore on, Contender Series alum Austin Arnett claimed his first UFC win on Saturday at UFC Argentina, bringing the fight to Peru’s Humberto Bandenay.
Austin Arnett was back in action on Saturday, looking to claim his first UFC win while on the road at UFC Argentina. Opposite him, Humberto Bandenay of Peru, who in two octagon appearances had spent less than a minute in the cage. Bendenay was coming off a win, however, and like Arnett, was hoping to get back on track in Buenos Aires.
The featherweight action started with Arnett focusing on movement, while Bandenay fired off a kick. Arnett would move in with a left, to be met with a kick again. Another leg kick for Bandenay followed, and he’d make it out of the first minute for the first time in his UFC career. Arnett was using his lateral movement, but ate a big kick off a combination by Bandenay. Arnett fired back, charging forward. He’d then close the distance, pressing Bandenay into the fence. Bandeway worked free, and went back to his kicks. Bandenay would later dump Arnett but not follow him down. In the final minute, a body kick hurt Arnett, and several more blows, but it was Arnett throwing Bandenay down at the end of the frame.
Arnett clinched early in round two, working in knees on Bandenay as the Peruvian had his back on the fence. Bandenay simply couldn’t reverse for long or push off, but took a low knee, which earned him a reprieve. A bit of a scramble when they restarted saw Arnett off-balance, he recovered, but Bandenay later caught him as he was dropping down with a kick. Arnett against drove Bandenay into the fence, but Bandenay was able to control a wrist and keep an overhook with his other arm to prevent Arnett from doing any damage. Bandenay was showing signs of fatigue, however, mouth open, an important factor given his last two fights were over in under a minute. Bandenay would score a late takedown, with Arnett defending via guillotine.
Between rounds, Arnett’s corner told him it was 1-1 heading into the third. Bandenay’s corner appeared to agree. He was active in the third, staying busy against a tiring Bandenay. It was a one-sided sound, with Arnett connecting with body kicks, landing a takedown, and finishing on top firing punches. That led to a 10-8 round on two scorecards, and Austin Arnett securing his first UFC win!
Closing the final frame STRONG!
Did @AustinArnettMMA do enough to get the win? #UFCArgentina pic.twitter.com/rbjO129k2S
— UFC (@ufc) November 18, 2018
Austin Arnett def. Humberto Bandeday by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)
