Jose Montanha da Silva made his promotional debut at UFC Vegas 120 on Saturday, facing Louie Sutherland in heavyweight action.
Brazil’s Montanha had won three straight, while Sutherland was coming off his first UFC victory, opposite Tai Tuivasa. That left Montanha as the underdog, despite Suthland’s losing record in the UFC.
The fight started with both guys engaging early and tying up a minute in. Montanha was able to get a knee tap, taking Sutherland down. Montanha landed in side control. Sutherland tried to scramble up, and Montanha took the back. Montanha didn’t even have the choke in, as it was a face crank that forced Sutherland to tap. Replay showed that Montanha was actually switching his grip on the hold while Sutherland tapped.
“I wish that my father could be here to see me,” Montanha said following the fight. “I was a karate guy all along, so I was ready for striking. I was very surprised when he chose to go to the ground,” he added, stating that he has the grappling and jiu-jitsu needed.
Montanha improves to 7-1 overall with the victory, while Sutherland drops to 11-6, with a 1-3 record under the UFC banner.
Official Result: Jose Montanha def. Louie Sutherland by submission (face crank), Round 1, 1:50
