Somewhat incredibly, the only fighter on the UFC 262 card to miss weight was a flyweight fighting up a weight class.
Rogerio Bontorin, who had made weight for all of his 125lb fights inside the octagon, was a pound over the bantamweight limit Friday morning. That gave opponent Matt Schnell a little financial boost heading into Saturday night — and perhaps some added motivation.
In the end, however, it was Bontorin’s night.
Schnell kept Bontorin on the fence early, holding center and working his jab. Despite both men fighting up in weight, Bontorin looked much thicker. Schnell fired a low kick, as the pair felt each other out. The exchanges, when they came, were quick; Bontorin was able to hit home whenever Schnell approached. Schnell then landed a crisp left hook, and followed up with a combo moments later as things began to open up. Bontoin, meanwhile, was finding a home for his leg kicks, which were having a clear effect on Schnell.
Schell’s movement was clearly impeded in the second as the calf kicks began to add up. His combos, however, were on point, and landing with more consistency than Bontorin, who was swinging hard, but nowhere near as often. Bontorin was switching stances and giving a number of different looks, which allowed him to catch Schnell with just over a minute remaining in the frame. What Bontorin could not do, however, was capitalize on that opportunity.
Round three saw a restless crowd, and a tentative start to the frame. Schnell circled away from Bontorin’s power; Bontorin fired yet another leg kick. When Bontorin closed the distance, Schnell did enough to fight him off and escape. At the midway point, however, Bontorin trapped Schell along the fence and began to unload. Schnell was under heavy fire, covering up. Bontorin then scored a takedown, planting Schnell on his back in a pivotal moment in the fight. Bontorin would land some heavy ground n’ pound before round’s end, in what was the most active round of the fight.
Official Result: Rogerio Bontorin def. Matt Schnell by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
