Featherweight action on the early prelims at Saturday’s UFC 262 in Houston, Texas, saw Kevin Aguilar face off against fellow Contender Series alum Tucker Lutz.
Aguilar was looking to pull out of a tailspin, having lost three straight. Lutz, meanwhile, was making his promotional debut after defeating both Chase Gibson and Sherrard Blackledge on DWCS.
Both fighters took to the center of the octagon early. Lutz threw a high kick but missed. Both fighters exchanged combos. Lutz tagged Aguilar a few times but nothing significant landed. Lutz clinched with Aguilar and landed a knee to the body. Aguilar rushed forward a tagged Lutz with a left hand, but Lutz fired a right hand back.
As the round progressed, both fighters landed counter hooks. Aguilar landed a nice double jab that backed Lutz up. Lutz landed a nasty uppercut on Aguilar, and Aguilar ate it. Less than 90 seconds in the frame, and Lutz landed a takedown, then moved Aguilar back to the fence. Aguilar stayed somewhat active from the bottom, landing some short punches while Lutz controlled him to end the round.
Aguilar threw a low kick to start round two, and Lutz counted with a combo. 45 seconds into the round, and both fighters exchanged combos. Lutz’s left hook seemed to hurt Aguilar every time he connected with it. Aguilar put Lutz against the fence in the clinch, but Lutz reversed and escaped. Lutz landed a body kick while Aguilar landed a body shot himself. With a minute thirty left in the round, Lutz landed his second takedown. Aguilar got back to his feet with under a minute remaining. Lutz landed three low kicks back-to-back. Lutz clinched Aguilar with 10 seconds left, but Aguilar reversed it and put Lutz against the fence.
To start round three, Aguilar landed a punch that stung Lutz. Lutz landed an uppercut that hurt Aguilar. Aguilar was getting reckless but was landed his right and left hooks. Lutz landed a perfect takedown with three minutes left in the fight and walked his opponent to the fence. Aguilar got back to his feet after being held down for a minute. With just over 90 seconds remaining, Lutz landed a nice hook to Aguilar’s body. Aguilar shot for a takedown, but Lutz stuffed it. Lutz landed a short left hand, and Aguilar landed a hard right hand back. Aguilar was chasing Lutz, trying to land a fight-ending punch at the end, but Lutz survived to the final bell.
What a fight between these two! 👊
[ #UFC262 |@KevinAguilarAOD| @TopGunTuck ] pic.twitter.com/qPfpkYhLDp
— UFC (@ufc) May 15, 2021
Lutz wins his UFC debut and extends his winning streak to 12. Aguilar has now lost four straight and might be going back to the regional scene.
Official Result: Tucker Lutz def. Kevin Aguilar via unanimous decision (30–27, 29–28, 29–28)
