Just hours prior to UFC Vegas 9, Brian Kelleher lost his opponent, Kevin Natividad. To put that in perspective, keep in mind that Natividad himself was a short-notice replacement. Kellher had originally been scheduled to face Ricky Simon, but one of Simon’s corners tested positive for COVID-19.
That resulted in Natividad stepping up. But on Saturday, he dropped off the card, leaving back-up fighter Ray Rodriguez to step in. Rodriguez had weighed in Friday, after Natividad had what had been believed to be a false positive for COVID-19.
At least Kelleher still had a fight. After all, Saturday, two other fights fell through.
Right off the bat in the fight itself, Brian Kelleher was aggressive and in the face of Rodriguez. Rodriguez threw a glancing head kick backing up Kelleher. But Rodriguez shot in for a takedown next, something he would come to regret — given he shot right into a guillotine. Early in the fight, with both fighters dry, it was tight. It wasn’t long at all before Rodriguez tapped.
WATCH YOUR NECK! 😳@BrianBoom135 only needs SECONDS to end it!
[ Watch on #ESPNPlus ] #UFCVegas9 pic.twitter.com/T2DKZRF5A9
— UFC (@ufc) September 6, 2020
If you know Brian “Boom” Kelleher at all, you know he has a nasty guillotine. That was the seventh submission via that particular method for Kelleher in his career.
Official Result: Brian Kelleher def. Ray Rodriguez by Submission (Guillotine), Round 1, 0:39
