But where Gruetzemacher was coming off a single win over Rafa Garcia, Puelles had more momentum behind him, having won three straight — most recently against Jordan Leavitt back in June.

Both fighters took the center of the octagon after a touch of gloves. Gruetzemacher closed the distance quickly. Puelles hit Gruetzemacher with a couple of body kicks and then dropped down and landed a takedown. Not much ground and pound from Puelles. Gruetzemacher tried for an armbar, but Puelles took his back in response. Both fighters were against the fence. A mounted guillotine from Puelles, but Gruetzemacher defended. Puelles got back to full mount and started dropping elbows, and 15 seconds later, starting dropping punches. The rounded with Puelles on top. Very dominant from the Peruvian fighter.

Puelles threw three high kicks to start round two, and they all landed. Puelles shot in for a takedown, but Gruetzemacher reversed it. Gruetzemacher went into Puelles’ guard and almost landed in a triangle. Both fighters got back to their feet with 2:20 left. Puelles landed a hard left hand that hurt Gruetzemacher and went for another takedown. Puelles put Gruetzemacher against the fence for a few seconds, but they broke from the fence. Gruetzemacher landed a knee to Puelles body from the clinch and then ate a elbow. Puelles landed a couple of elbows against the fence to end the round.

The final round started with Gruetzemacher pressuring Puelles. Gruetzemacher clinched with him and then landed a knee below the belt, which halted the action at 4:35. After restarting, both fighters exchanged kicks. A combo from Gruetzemacher got Puelles’ attention. Over three and a half minutes left in the final round, and Puelles shot for another lazy takedown, which Gruetzemacher defended and then reversed. Both fighters got to their feet. Puelles put Gruetzemacher against the fence. Gruetzemacher landed a takedown trip, and Puelles immediately tried a heel hook. Gruetzemacher defended, and then Puelles went for the kneebar and Gruetzemacher tapped.

Getting the job done late 💪

🇵🇪@cloxmma locks in the 3rd round sub to finish Chris Gruetzemacher at #UFCVegas44! pic.twitter.com/6I3P9ZlI21

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) December 5, 2021

Puelles has now won four straight, with two kneebar submissions in that span. Don’t give that man a leg.

Official Result: Claudio Puelles def. Chris Gruetzemacher by submission (kneebar), Round 3, 3:26

The post UFC Vegas 44: Claudio Puelles Subs Chris Gruetzemacher With Kneebar appeared first on Cageside Press.

MMA DNA was first to report the news that Claudio Puelles and Chris Gruetzemacher will fight on December 4 at a yet-to-be-announced UFC event. Both fighters would confirm the news on social media.

Gruetzemacher (15-4) said during his last post-fight interview he wanted to be more active after only fighting three times in the last three years. He got his wish. “Gritz” got back into the win column last month at UFC on ESPN: Hall vs. Strickland. He defeated Rafa Garcia via unanimous decision. Before that fight, he returned from a two-year layoff against Alex Hernandez in his only fight of 2020, which he lost via knockout.

Puelles (10-2) returned from a 21-month layoff in his most recent fight. The Peruvian handed Jordan Leavitt his first professional loss via unanimous decision. Puelles is riding a three-fight winning streak since losing his UFC debut, which was the finals of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 3.

No location, venue, or broadcast plan has been officially announced for the December 4 event, but UFC President Dana White said that all Fight Nights would be staying at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, NV.

No other fights have been reported at this time for the December 4 card.

The post Claudio Puelles vs. Chris Gruetzemacher Set For December 4 UFC Event appeared first on Cageside Press.

The 1:46 second loss to Alexander Hernandez hit Gruetzmacher hard last year, and we finally have some insight about what went wrong and how much this recent win means to “Gritz.”

Cageside Press asked Gruetzmacher if his win over Garcia was a good bounce-back over his last performance during his post-fight interview.

“Well, yeah, obviously,” Gruetzmacher laughed. “But man, we try and not to make excuses but like, I tore my knee in 2018, and then tore my knee-ACL in the beginning of 2019, the pandemic happened, I moved to three different states, I went broke, um, literally had nobody. I didn’t train with anyone last fight. I didn’t train anybody; I didn’t train with anybody; I didn’t have a strength and conditioning coach. I literally did it all myself. I can add all the negative stuff, but I think that’s enough.”

“I would say this is not just a comeback win, but, man, everything outside of fighting is a comeback for me. My whole life is in a better spot before this fight. I had three- on paper, I didn’t have the most, but I had enough. I had quality. Today’s performance, I literally had one training partner, one strength and conditioning coach, and just had some really supportive, positive people around me, and that’s what made all the difference.”

The Ultimate Fighter: Season 22 veteran has only had six fights in the UFC since debuting in 2017. The the lack of activity is very frustrating.

“I don’t want to dwell on the past, but it has been frustrating. I feel like I could have done more, I could have been further, coulda, should, woulda, you know? So I don’t like that. I’m just happy and grateful for the experience I just had like this whole camp. This whole camp has been something brand new,” Gruetzmacher said.

As for what’s next, Gruetzmacher said he wants to return at the end of October or in December, and against someone that will further his career.

Watch the full UFC Vegas 33 post-fight press conference with Chris Gruetzmacher above.

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Former Combate champ Garcia had been a short-notice fighter against the established Nasrat Haqparast in his debut, and had been 12-0 prior to it. Saturday in Las Vegas, he was looking to show MMA fans why he’d been so highly touted prior to this arrival in the UFC.

Gruetzemacher looked to close the distance early on trying to get a hold of Garcia. However, on one of the early attempts he ate a heavy hand that stunned him momentarily. Garcia pounced and knocked him down. He then tried to finish Gruetzemacher as he worked back to his feet. Gruetzemacher survived and seemed to shake out the cobwebs. Garcia landed a few more times before scoring a short lived takedown. In an exchange of knees on the feet, Garcia took two below the belt, prompting a short break. Gruetzemacher then started landing a bit more with his hands. Garcia countered with a few takedown attempts that led to little more than tie-ups against the cage. Gruetzemacher landed a few nice body shots to end the round, but the big damage was done early by Garcia.

Heavy shots landing early in RD 1 💢 #UFCVegas33 pic.twitter.com/9hloPvVgeA

— UFC (@ufc) August 1, 2021

Gruetzemacher looked much more fresh to kick off the second round. He cranked up the pressure to 10 and was working big with the body shots. Garcia then hit a well-timed takedown right into side control. He held Gruetzemacher there for a bit, but Gruetzemacher worked back up, fighting off a guillotine in the process. Garcia had some moments of working Gruetzemacher up against the cage, but the story of this round was the forward pressure and sheer volume from Gruetzemacher.

More of the same from Gruetzemacher, who appeared to be looking for a finish to kick off the third. A big upper cut landed for Gruetzemacher and he was just walking Garcia down. However, Garcia then landed another takedown and worked right to side control again. Garcia looked less offensive this time on the ground and appeared to be very focused on keeping Gruetzemacher down. Referee Chris Tognoni warned Garcia to stay active and that prompted him to try to land a bit more in terms of strikes. With that Gruetzemacher made it back to his feet and the two went toe-to-toe with wild strikes. When Gruetzemacher started getting the better of it, Garcia worked another takedown, this one to a butterfly guard. With 10 seconds left, Gruetzemacher made it back to his feet. Garcia snagged a leg for one more takedown, but the round ended there.

Official Result: Chris Gruetzemacher def. Rafa Garcia by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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A pair of lightweights will try and get back in the win column at a UFC event this July. According to Combate, Chris Gruetzemacher will be Rafa Garcia’s second fight with the promotion on July 31 at a yet-to-be-announced event.

Gruetzemacher (14-4) returned after more than a two-year layoff last Halloween at UFC Fight Night: Hall vs. Silva. He will be looking to bounce back after his brutal first-round knockout loss to Alexander Hernandez. Before his loss to Hernandez, he was the last person to defeat veteran Joe Lauzon when he absolutely battered him in April 2018, leading to a corner stoppage. The Lauzon win would lead to a Performance of the Night award. “Gritz” is looking for his third Octagon win after going 2-5 in the promotion.

Garcia (12-1) will be looking for his first win with the promotion after he was unsuccessful in his debut. “Gifted” stepped in on short notice to fight Nasrat Haqparast at UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad last month. He went on to lose a unanimous decision; however, he left a lasting impression by fighting a very bright prospect. The loss to Haqparast would snap his 12-fight undefeated streak. Garcia was the Combate lightweight champion before being signed by the promotion and fought for Combate eight times.

No other fights have been reported for the July 31 card as of yet, neither has a location.

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Thanks in part to injury, and then to the coronavirus pandemic, it had been two years since fans had last seen UFC Vegas 12’s Chris Gruetzemacher. The lightweight picked up an impressive win over Joe Lauzon back in April 2018, and had not been heard from since. On Saturday, however, the Arizona native returned to take on Alexander “The Great” Hernandez.

Hernandez was a prospect rushed into the spotlight to start his UFC run. But he’d had a few missteps, against Donald Cerrone and Drew Dober in a case of “too much, too soon.”

Chris Gruetzemacher opened up with a leg kick in the fight Saturday, and followed it up a couple more. Hernandez fired back with a leg kick of his own, then landed 1-2 combination followed by a push kick. Gruetzemacher pressed forward, but Hernandez kept firing punches at the advancing fighter. Hernandez kept mixing up the attacks with kicks and punches. A high kick was punctuated with a hard right that was shortly followed up by a crushing left hand that hurt Gruetzemacher and dropped him for a moment. He sprung back to his feet, only to eat a couple of right hands plus an uppercut that sent him to the mat, mercifully ending the fight.

That's how it's done!

👑 @TheGreat155 put it all together in RD 1.

[ #UFCVegas12 on #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/jsB3skegEi

— UFC (@ufc) October 31, 2020

A complete massacre by Alexander Hernandez. On a night full of big finishes, it was a standout.

Official Result: Alexander Hernandez def. Chris Gruetzemacher by TKO, Round 1, 1:46

The post UFC Vegas 12 Results: Alexander Hernandez Shocks Returning Chris Gruetzemacher appeared first on Cageside Press.

UFC 223 went down Saturday in Brooklyn, New York, and proved to be a more exciting affair in the cage than the frankly ravaged card looked on paper. Thrilling bouts between Felice Herrig and Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Zabit Magomedovsharipov and Kyle Bochniak, plus Rose Namajunas defending her title against Joanna Jedrzejczyk all brought enough action to contend for Fight of the Night. With just two stoppages on the card, mind you, there weren’t too many fighters in the running for Performance of the Night — though perhaps the promotion would break tradition and pick one combatant from a fight that went the distance?

Well, maybe some day. At UFC 223, however, the UFC went with the only two fighters who provided finishes on the card, granting both Performance of the Night awards. First up, Olivier Aubin-Mercier, who put on a career-best performance against Evan Dunham on the preliminary card. ‘OAM,’ who spoke to Cageside Press about his desire to jump on the Brooklyn card after a prior fight with Gilbert Burns was scrapped just weeks ago, made short work of the gritty Dunham. A couple of big knees knocked the wind, and the fight out of him, and Aubin-Mercier (11–2) suddenly had the first TKO finish of his career.

After the bout, ‘The Quebec Kid’ transformed into ‘The Canadian Gangster,’ having some fun in the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. “Yo, I just wanted to be a Canadian gangster,” he told Rogan. “I have a stache, I say sorry, I cry, I don’t give a fox!”

The Canadian Gangster 🇨🇦@OliAubin #UFC223 pic.twitter.com/1hQNdTLKhE

— UFC (@ufc) April 8, 2018

Also rewarded for forcing a corner stoppage after the second, Chris Gruetzemacher picked up $50,000. His opponent, veteran and fan fave Joe Lauzon, was strong out of the gate, but faded fast, taking tons of punishment by the end of the second round. Bloodied and swollen, Lauzon may want to rethink continuing on given the damage he’s taken over the years.

Fight of the Night was awarded to the thrilling affair between Zabit Magomedsharipov and Kyle Bochniak. ‘ZaBeast’ displayed the creative striking and the well-rounded game he’s become famous for, while Bochniak refused to back down, goading his opponent and doing whatever he could to stay in the fight.

All four bonus winners will receive $50,000 U.S. for their efforts.

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Fan favorite and perennial bonus machine Joe Lauzon returned to action at UFC 223 in Brooklyn, NY on Saturday night. Bumped up to the PPV card thanks to the chaos surrounding the event, Lauzon was taking on Chris Gruetzemacher to open the main card. On a two fight losing streak and having won just one in his last four, Lauzon was looking for a change of fortune.

Lauzon brought the action early, going right at Chris Gruetzemacher and throwing leather. He then scored a heavy standing elbow and shot low, only for Gruetzemacher to sprawl. Gruetzemacher wound up on top, but had to deal with Lauzon’s butterfly guard. Lauzon soon rolled into a knee bar position, but Gruetzemacher pulled back, and they returned to the feet. Lauzon utilized elbows over the top, but Gruetzemacher began firing back as Joe slowed towards the end of the round. Gruetzemacher was soon tagging Lauzon with uppercuts and elbows, softening him up at round’s end.

Lauzon found himself eating more strikes early in round two, which led to a takedown attempt. He stayed on it, but Gruetzemacher was able to pull free. Gruetzemacher then fired a knee to the body, then another. Lauzon was bloodied, while Gruetzemacher mixed up body strikes, knees, and combos upstairs. Another knee by Gruetzemacher was followed by elbows over the top. The standing elbows were a weapon for both men, but Lauzon was slowed and bloodied, while Gruetzemacher still looked fresh. Lauzon pressed forward with a combination, getting the crowd going, but couldn’t sustain the attack. Another cut opened up on Lauzon’s scalp, worsening his vision. He continued to throw elbows, but was taking more than he was giving.

After the second, Lauzon’s corner had seen enough. With both his eyes nearly swollen shut, they called it a night, giving Chris Gruetzemacher the TKO win.

Chris Gruetzemacher def. Joe Lauzon by TKO (corner stoppage), Round 2, 5:00

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Joe Lauzon has long been a favorite of UFC fans everywhere. Now, he’ll take his talents to Brooklyn, for this April’s UFC 223. Newsday was first to report the news on Thursday. The bonus winning machine (Lauzon is tied for the most bonuses in UFC history alongside Nate Diaz with 15) will face Chris Gruetzemacher at the event.

Lauzon (27-14), a Massachusetts native, will be looking to stave off the possibility of sinking to three straight losses for the first time in his long career. He has dropped each of his last two bouts, to Clay Guida and Stevie Ray. Prior to that, he’d won a split decision against Marcin Held at UFC Fight Night 103 that even Lauzon admitted was a bit of a robbery. Always popular and ever the class act, he’ll look to get back in the win column decisively against Gruetzemacher.

TUF vet Chris Gruetzemacher (13–3) has also lost his last two trips to the octagon. 1-2 in the UFC overall, he defeated Abner Lloveras at the TUF 22 finale in 2015. After missing all of 2016, he went on a two fight skid last year, losing to Chas Skelly and Davis Ramos. Both times, the fighter, who trains in Surprise, AZ, submitted to rear-naked chokes.

UFC 223 takes place April 7 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. A lightweight championship bout (maybe for the interim belt, maybe not) serves as the main event. Rose Namajunas will also put her title on the line in a rematch against Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

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The UFC touched down in Fresno, California on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 123. Otherwise known as UFC Fresno, the main event boasted a key featherweight fight between Cub Swanson and Brian Ortega. While one of those men could potentially thrust himself to contender status, the Fight Pass preliminary card boasted a trio of fights that promised to bring fans online plenty of action.

At middleweight, Trevin Giles opened the card against Antonio Braga Neto. Giles was looking for another win in his sophomore octagon outing — and this time was fighting in his regular stomping grounds, after making his debut at light heavyweight.

Check back during the evening for a recap of the night’s action!

Trevin Giles vs. Antonio Braga Neto

The crowd got behind Giles early, who was looking to stand and bang. Neto, however, had other plans, and was looking to avoid his opponent’s power, get inside, and take the fight down. He did, roughly halfway through round one. From halfguard, with Giles pinned against the cage, Neto was able to land some solid punches. Elbows followed; Neto would through in a submission attempt for good measure, looking for a keylock. Giles did little to resist from the bottom; Neto would add a knee to the chest.

In the second, the pair again spent the first two plus minutes on the feet. This time, Giles was able to stay standing for the first half of the round, and went to the body. Neto seemed to abandon his takedowns, and looked to return fire. He would clip Giles with a right, but after chasing him down, was himself rocked with a conterpunch. Giles then began to walk his foe down, and was slowly increasing his lead in the striking department. Neto would go high with a kick; Giles answered back with leg kicks, and began unloading right hands on Neto. Stiff left jabs landed as well, and Neto desperately needed this bout to go to the canvas.

Despite the damage incurred in the second, Neto fought with his hands down in the third, and failed to get the fight down. Giles walked him down with jabs and right hands landing nearly at will. Finally, after a little showboating with a windup, a big right hand sent Neto crashing to the canvas.

Trevin Giles def. Antonio Braga Neto by TKO, Round 3, 2:27

Chris Gruetzemacher vs. Davi Ramos

Gruetzemacher pressed forward early only to eat a knee from Ramos. Ramos had an overhand right, but had no issues inviting Gruetzemacher to his guard when the latter caught a kick and they went down. Gruetzemacher landed a few ground strikes before they scrambled back up. Ramos looked to work his jab, while Gruetzemacher pressed forward with leg kicks. Ramos next threw a jump knee that connected, and Gruetzemacher proved to have quite a chin. Another jump knee attempt by Ramos came up short, but Ramos then caught a kick and got the fight down. From half guard, Ramos looked to pass.

Ramos was able to get the action down early in round two, but Gruetzemacher was able to stall long enough that the ref opted to stand them up. Ramos then fanned on a spinning back fist, and was later stuffed on a takedown attempt. Gruetzemacher began to press forward, working a jab and right hand. Ramos went for a desperation takedown, that was again stuffed. Ramos was able to land a counter or two, but Gruetzemacher had no trouble walking through them. Finally, Ramos shot and landed a takedown – only for Gruetzemacher to quickly escape. The battle continued, with Ramos eating a knee before he managed take Gruetzemacher down to finish the round.

Having felt the momentum shift, Davi Ramos decided he’d had enough in round three. Getting the fight down early, he took the back, and, hooks in, sunk in the rear-naked choke. It was right, and the tap came soon after!

Davi Ramos def. Chris Gruetzemacher by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 3, 0:50

Alejandro Pérez vs. Iuri Alcântara

Alcantara held the center of the cage early in the featured prelim bout. The action was slow to get going as the pair felt each other out. Alcantara started off with an outside kick then looked to score a straight left; Perez came back with a big overhand. Iuri was doing a good job creating distance, using his reach well. That said, with so little action, that space wasn’t being utilized. Alcantara threw a few kicks as the clocked ticked down to two minutes; Perez would again come in with a big overhand right, but missed.

With a minute to go, Alcantara went upstairs with a kick, and Perez countered with a right. Another high kick was caught by Perez, who then missed with a spinning back fist. Alcantara initiated a clinch which Perez broke free of quickly; Iuri Alcantara got some air in the dying seconds looking to score with a jumping knee but wasn’t close.

Perez fanned on a kick early, then had a second one caught early in round two. That dumped him on his back, but Alcantara held off and Perez was right back up. Perez was contantly moving but neither fighter was engaging through the first ninety seconds. Perez caught a kick and tried to charge in later in the round, but wasn’t able to make anything happen. The pair finally exchanged with two minutes remaining, with Alcantara landing a clean left on his opponent’s chin. Perez looked for a single leg with about a minute to go, but was stuffed. Another short flurry erupted as the pair traded combos in the final minute, but with so little action, it was a tough round to score.

Perez got the third round started with a jab/cross combination, while Alcantara still settled with using his reach to create space. He was walking forward but rarely engaged; Perez actually looked to be the more active fighter early in the round. A left hook from Perez appeared to catch his opponent, but neither man was able to put more than a strike or two together. Toward’s the end of the round, Perez managed to catch Alcantara with a leg kick, taking his feet out from under him, in arguably the most significant moment of the fight. It then went to the judges, who saw it for Perez.

Alejandro Pérez def. Iuri Alcântara by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

UFC Fresno Fight Pass Preliminary Results

Alejandro Pérez def. Iuri Alcântara by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Davi Ramos def. Chris Gruetzemacher by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 3, 0:50
Trevin Giles def. Antonio Braga Neto by TKO, Round 3, 2:27

The post UFC Fresno Fight Pass Preliminary Results and Recap appeared first on Cageside Press.