Fifteenth-ranked UFC bantamweight contender Chris Gutierrez faced off against Alatengheili at UFC Vegas 81 on Saturday.
Gutierrez came into the bout looking to rebound from a loss to Pedro Munhoz, Chris’ first loss since 2018. Alatengheili came in on a two-fight winning streak where he has looked better than ever and which earned him his first crack at a ranked opponent in his UFC career.
Both men came out orthodox and it was only a few seconds before Gutierrez started attacking with leg kicks, his signature weapon. He switched stances fluidly to set up different attacks with his legs, going to the body after the legs, while feinting with his hips and fists. Alatengheili could hardly land a single punch in the round while Gutierrez kept flowing the whole time. He began to open up and land punches as well as kicks while circling the outside of the cage the entire time. When Alatengheili tried to close distance Gutierrez was simply not there to be hit. The round was a clear win for Gutierrez, but probably not a 10-8 round.
Alatengheili began to try to be even more aggressive in round two, blitzing forward behind shifting combos, but Gutierrez was still able to evade and counter consistently. When Alatengheili did not come forward Gutierrez threw his kicks to slowly piece up his foe, leading to another round won for Chris.
In round three Alatengheili finally shot his first takedown attempt and landed it after a struggle. However Gutierrez was able to spring back to his feet and get to his striking and win the rest of the round, cruising to an easy 30-27 decision.
There was no doubt when the scorecards were read as the judges gave Chris Gutierrez a unanimous 30-27 decision.
Official Result: Chris Gutierrez def. Alatengheili by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
