Undefeated Congolese bantamweight Josias Musasa made his promotional debut at UFC Vegas 104 on Saturday, taking on Carlos Vera.
Having won his way into the UFC via the Contender Series, Musasa was looking to make a strong first impression. Unfortunately, he made the wrong kind of impression at weigh-ins on Friday, missing weight for the fight by a half pound on his first attempt, though he later hit the mark.
The opening round saw an aggressive Vera early on. He was having success with the leg kicks but would soon enough shoot for a takedown. Musasa shrugged him off letting Vera back to his feet. Vera was really kick heavy as their were no worry of his being taken down. It showed as Musasa would catch a few kicks with Vera then falling to his back. Musasa wasn’t inviting the ground game, aiming to keep the fight upright. Vera was still throwing those kicks. He’d wing a right hand missing badly but followed up with a head kick. It dropped Musasa and Vera jumped on the back and forced Musasa to tap via rear-naked choke!
For Carlos Vera, his first UFC victory finally arrives in his third fight for the organization.
Official Result: Carlos Vera def. Josias Musasa by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 3:16
