After a year and a half on the sidelines, Australian light heavyweight Jimmy Crute returned to action at UFC 312, paired up with Brazilian Rodolfo Bellato.
It was a hometown homecoming for Crute, whose last action had been a July 2023 loss against Alonzo Menifield.
Crute, the smaller man in the cage at the Qudos Bank Arena on Saturday, showed a bit of flash early, firing a spinning back kick. Not much came from it, but Crute then reversed a Bellato takedown attempt, quickly moved to mount, and threatened with an arm-triangle choke. Bellato, perhaps a bit overwhelmed, managed to fend off the submission and reclaim half-guard. Jimmy Crute, however, would spend the bulk of the round on top, in a fantastic start that saw him find just enough room to land a bit of ground n’ pound, while not emptying the tank or taking any damage himself.
In the final 30 seconds, Bellato got back up, but Crute tagged him, then dropped him moments later! Crute pounced, firing elbows, but Bellato somehow survived the round. Very much worse for the wear.
Round two opened with Bellato almost certainly still compromised. Crute took the fight too him, leaning into punches and seemingly forgetting the success he had on the ground in the opening round. In a clinch, however, Crute popped off two or three textbook uppercuts. Bellato went to the body, but was showing signs of fatigue, hands down, movement clunky. Two minutes in, and Crute finally shot, staying on the attempt only for Bellato to scramble back, escaping. Crute then fired off another spinning kick to the midsection, while Bellato chopped at his lead leg.
The back half of the round found Crute slowing as well, however. His mouth was open, and Bellato’s strikes were having a little more effect. Both men landed in an exchange, and Bellato worked over the body some more. By the end of the round, Bellato had managed to force Crute to retreat once or twice. The Brazilian himself was bloodied, but another low kick saw Crute shaking out his leg.
If Bellato had managed to steal round two late, the fight was up for grabs in the third. If not, the Brazilian would be in need of a finish. Crute shot for a takedown early in the third, but Bellato scrambled free. Crute then punched his way into the pocket, with Bellato backing out, regrouping, and landing a heavy leg kick. Each and every leg kick seemed to be having more of an effect on Crute, even as he continued to land on the larger man. And just past the midway mark, it was Rodolfo Bellato landing a takedown of his own. Crute got up, went back down to a knee, then exploded out, not staying down long.
Back on the feet, Crute continued to attack, but the counters of Bellato were having more of an effect. Bellato fired off a couple of punches that had some real heat behind him. They finished the round brawling, heading to the scorecards in a hard-fought affair that was entertaining from start to finish.
With the scorecards very much in question, a draw was in play. And that’s what was announced, a majority draw, with 28-28 scores from two judges.
Official Result: Jimmy Crute vs. Rodolfo Bellato ends in a majority draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)
