The final of three Road to UFC 3 finales scheduled for UFC Macau on Saturday found Baergeng Jieleyisi and Suyoung You facing off.
The fight would have a couple of tough acts to follow, as both the women’s strawweight and men’s flyweight finales had ended with explosive knockouts.
You showed some solid feints in the early going on Saturday, motioning for a level change then coming over the top with a punch. You had some power in his combos, but Jieleyisi proved to be no slouch on the feet either. South Korea’s You then opted to take the fight down, landing on top in half guard. The founder of “Yoo Jitsu” had plenty of time to work, well over half a round. Jieleyisi utilized a butterfly guard at times, and was eventually able to scramble up, though he had to content with a number of knees from You. And You soon took Jieleyisi back down, this time moving into side control.
You would finish the round in mount, but he couldn’t finish Jieleyisi before the horn.
Round two saw Jieleyisi go to the body with a kick in the opening minute. You continued to feint at takedowns, and find a home for his right hand/left hook. You fired a kick to the body that was blocked; the sound of it landing on Jieleyisi’s arm was still audible throughout the arena. Jieleyisi fanned on a couple of big swings, while You continued to find openings and land. He grabbed a leg with about 90 seconds left, only for Jieleyisi to pull free. Moments later, as they came together, You did get the fight down, settling into half guard with just over a minute remaining in the round.
The final round arrived with Jieleyisi arguably in need of a finish. The boo-birds were out in the stands following a lack of action early in the third; what action did come was mostly on the part of You. Jieleyisi, meanwhile, took another big swing, and another big miss. The same result came on a kick moments later. Jieleyisi would manage to get You on his back in the dying seconds of the fight, but it was a case of too little, too late.
With the victory, Suyoung You claims a UFC contract and the Road to UFC 3 bantamweight crown.
Official Result: Suyoung You def. Baergeng Jieleyisi by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
