Coming off a spectacular UFC debut middleweight Ateba Gautier aimed to build more momentum as he faced Robert Valentin at UFC 318 on Saturday night.
Gautier (7-1) made his debut against Jose Medina in March finishing that one in the first round with a massive knee. The fighter out of Cameroon was set to continue his win streak against Valentin.
Valentin (10-5) comes into this one on a two fight losing skid after winning The Ultimate Fighter Season 32. With a lackluster start to his UFC run he needed this win badly.
Round 1 Valentin came out with the lead leg light trying to show Gautier that he’d be sending kicks up the middle. Gautier wasn’t worried and began to put his strikes on Valentin rather heavily.
Valentin landed some shots on Gautier, but then ate a flurry of strikes that put him on skates and hurt him badly. Gautier hunted, but did it very patiently and strategically. He landed shots everywhere, found the right hand around the guard, and when Valentin got back up he put him back down with another heavy shot.
Valentin tried to survive, at one point urging Gautier forward, but ended up on the wrong end of an onslaught and Herb Dean had seen enough.
Ateba Gautier is the new boogieman at middleweight.
Official Results: Ateba Gautier def. Robert Valentin via R1 TKO, 1:10
