After proving his mettle in a war with Sean O’Malley on short notice last year, Kris Moutinho returned to action Saturday at UFC Vegas 50, in search of his first win inside the octagon.
In his sophomore effort, the bantamweight was paired up with Guido Cannetti, who had dropped three straight fights dating back to 2018.
At 42, Cannetti was long in the tooth for a bantamweight, but came out firing kicks. Moutinho opted to walk him down, backing him into the fence. Moutinho pressed, and Cannetti fired a spinning back fist. For those who expected a quick start to Cannetti vs. Moutinho, they were not disappointed.
In the clinch, Cannetti connected with several knees to the body. Moutinho backpedalled, tagging the younger fighter several times. Cannetti closed the distance again, landing more knees, then chased Moutinho with left and right hooks flying. Far more punches were landing that not, and Moutinho not offering much in the way of intelligent defense. That was enough for the ref, who moved in to wave the fight off while Kris Moutinho was still standing.
HEAVY HITS TO END IT! 😤@NinjaCannetti wasted no time to get the finish!
[ #UFCVegas50 | Prelims are LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/Ij8bwhQvjK
— UFC (@ufc) March 12, 2022
A disappointing result for Moutinho, who earned himself a lot of fans with his short-notice showing against Sean O’Malley. As for Cannetti, he snaps a three fight skid, likely saving his spot on the roster in the process.
Official Result: Guido Cannetti def. Kris Moutinho by TKO, Round 1, 2:07
