One of five debuting fighters at UFC Vegas 101 on Saturday was Marco Tulio, matched up with Ihor Potieria in a middleweight affair.
At least, it would have been a middleweight affair, had Potieria not come in heavy at the scales on weigh-in day. Instead, the bout was held at a 188 pound catchweight, with Potieria coughing up a percentage of his purse to his opponent.
The fight began with Tulio taking the role of the early aggressor. While Potieria pressed forward, it was Tulio who found success with his strikes, though nothing landed cleanly in the opening minutes. Tulio did connect with a sharp counter, but the most notable moments early on were a brief clash of heads and accidental groin strikes that halted the action. The worst of the bunch was a knee that landed solidly below the belt, sending Ihor sprawling to the ground in obvious pain.
After taking time to recover, Potieria resumed and landed a big left hand. However, as Tulio exploded forward with a glancing right hand, he followed up with another right that dropped Potieria. Sensing the finish, Tulio swarmed with ground-and-pound, leaving Potieria bloodied and forcing the referee to step in for a TKO stoppage.
Fouls aside, a big UFC debut for Marco Tulio.
Official Result: Marco Tulio def. Ihor Potieria by TKO (punch and GNP), Round 1, 3:04
