To kick off the UFC 261 card, three straight Chinese prospects made their debut. Zhu Rong, set up against “Kazula” Vargas (Rodrigo Vargas), was arguably the most promising.
Their lightweight showdown was the third fight in on the early preliminary card Saturday, which went down with a full house of fans in Jacksonville, Florida.
Zhu, at just 21, had five years of experience as a pro. With the action underway at UFC 261, the young prospect took a reserved approach early. He sat back and worked on his jab, as Vargas fired calf kicks, and put out a little more output. Zhu might have actually been a little too laid back, as Vargas got off to an early lead thanks to volume. As the round wore on, Zhu did a little showboating, waving Vargas in, putting his hands to his hips and prancing a little — an odd decision in a round he was likely losing.
OH BABY 😳
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— UFC (@ufc) April 24, 2021
Perhaps it had the desired effect. Going back to his corner, Vargas appeared visibly upset. And to open the second, Zhu scored a takedown. But Vargas locked on with a tight guillotine. Zhu gave the thumbs’ up, but the choke was tight. Zhu pushed down on Vargas’ leg, attacking the guard rather than the arm. Luckily for Zhu, Vargas tired himself out, eventually releasing the choke. He’d try another guillotine moments later, but that was short lived. Zhu took the back, landing a quick punch or two. He then took Vargas back down, but was too high. Vargas was able to reverse, getting on top with ninety seconds remaining in the frame. Zhu would escape, however, and they’d finish the round fighting for position along the fence.
In the third, Zhu clipped Vargas, who seemed to eat it well. The pair had slowed a little, but Zhu’s showmanship came on display again. Moments later, he caught Vargas again, and it became rather clear that he was trying to lure his opponent in — via gamesmanship or otherwise. On one of those showboating attempts, Zhu ate a punch from the Mexican, but didn’t appear any worse for the wear. They’d finish the round going to the ground, Zhu on top, but he didn’t have much time to make anything happen there.
Come the scores being read, Mexico’s Vargas had the win — with the only real surprise being a 30-26 score.
Official Result: Rodrigo Vargas def. Zhu Rong by unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28, 29-28)
