Canada’s Charles Jourdain made the drop to bantamweight at UFC Edmonton on Saturday, where he took on Victor Henry in his divisional debut.
Jourdain was looking to snap a two-fight skid after dropping back-to-back fights against Sean Woodson and Jean Silva at 145lbs. Conversely, Henry was was 2-0, with a No Contest over his last three trips to the UFC octagon.
Round 1 started and both fighters were satisfied to stay at kicking range for the first minute. Henry favouring leg and body kicks, while Jourdain was feinting into question mark kicks to try and connect to the head. Jourdain tripped Henry and used the headlock he grabbed as Henry was getting back up to then knee him in the head. Henry used a caught kick to take the fight to the ground, but Jourdain stayed active off his back and landed a nice elbow as they got back up. The Quebecer did a great job of using Henry forward-moving pressure against him by countering with flying knees. The round ended on the ground after Henry used another trip to get Jourdain down.
The second round started with both fighters looking to apply pressure immediately. Jourdain used lead hooks to pivot out of the way of Henry’s pressure, never allowing himself to stay too long with his back to the fence. Henry tripped Jourdain, and immediately got the back. He locked in the body triangle and kept attacking the neck, but Jourdain did a great job of defending and trying to break the lock. ‘Air’ eventually worked his way out of this bad position, but opted to keep grappling, threatening with guillotines. After a few attempts, he eventually locked a power guillotine that forced Henry to tap.
A great first performance to announce himself as a fun contender in the bantamweight division from the Canadian Jourdain.
Official Result: Charles Jourdain defeats Victor Henry by submission (3:43, round 2)
