“Ugly Man Joe” was in search of his first win inside the octagon at UFC Vegas 55 on Saturday night.
The whimsically nicknamed Joseph Holmes had come up short in his promotional debut against Jamie Pickett earlier this year. On Saturday, his sophomore outing had him paired up with former Bellator fighter Alen Amedovski, who had started his own UFC run 0-2.
Round one began with Holmes working the jabs and leg kicks to gauge Amedovski’s reactions. Amedovski loaded up on his punches, and then Holmes landed a huge knee right up the middle. Amedovski survived, but Holmes got the fight to the ground and got the rear-naked choke locked in. Holmes got the tap and the win on the night.
Knee was right on the button then Holmes locked up the submission 😤 #UFCVegas55 pic.twitter.com/BCFJPJ8k5g
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 21, 2022
Post-fight, Holmes said he borrowed the idea for throwing the knee from Jonathan Martinez, who was also fighting on the card. Overall, “Ugly Man Joe” improved to 8-2 care of the victory.
For Amedovski, meanwhile, a dominant run in Bellator has led to a tailspin in the UFC. After starting his fighting career a perfect 8-0, he’s now dropped three straight. That puts him in a very precarious position, with another batch of Contender Series winners expected to be incoming later in the summer.
Official Result: Joseph Holmes def. Alen Amedovski via R1 1:04 – Submission (RNC)
