Badly in need of a course correction after back-to-back losses to kick off his UFC career was Mike Mathetha, better known as Blood Diamond. At UFC 293, Diamond had been paired up with newcomer Charlie Radtke for what felt like a last shot and proving himself inside the octagon.
Not long into the fight Diamond caught Radtke coming forward that backed up Radtke. As Diamond came forward Radtke stunned him with a punch and got the back standing against the cage. Diamond fought the wrist well and the underhooks showing good takedown defense. He had trouble getting his back off the cage though. He finally separated and then went to work. Radtke threw a feint into a takedown that was nicely done but Diamond got right back up to his feet. Diamond still had trouble getting off the cage as he had to use a hip toss to escape right at the bell.
In round two, Diamond started off with continued kicks to the body. Radtke landed two left hands that put Blood Diamond on skates and then a right hand that almost put Diamond away. Diamond was hurt so bad he shot in for a takedown but Radtke defended and put him against the cage. When the fight was separated by Herb Dean, Radtke landed a left hand and put Diamond right back against the cage. The round ended as both landed in an exchange.
In the final round Diamond was in need of a finish and he was pressing forward. He got Radtke against the cage and landed a nasty elbow. That was his biggest shot of the fight but he let Radtke reverse him right back against the cage. Radtke was doing a good job controlling Diamond but was doing zero damage. Diamond landed an illegal knee to the groin that paused the fight but also created separation. At that point, Radtke was also showing some nasty swelling around one eye — possibly an orbital issue. Diamond came rushing forward throwing punches and kicks until Radtke put him right against the cage. Diamond was able to get away by himself that time and he was aggressive throwing a lot of output. All that output included another illegal groin shot and Herb took a point. With a minute left, Radtke was controlling against the cage and that’s where the fight ended.
Heading to the scorecards, Charlie Radtke took the win, much to the displeasure of the Australian crowd. They let him know it— and Radtke fired back, dropping a few choice words including an f-bomb (and we don’t mean everyone’s favorite four letter word) in goading the fans. The UFC then cut his interview with Daniel Cormier short, for obvious reasons.
Official Result: Charlie Radtke def. Blood Diamond by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
