Finding the proper response to much of the news finding its way into our social media feeds is becoming a tougher task every day. Nothing is surprising, and there’s always more to the story. Leaving us with one reply: “huh?”.

Last night at UFC Mexico City, lightweight Jordan Rinaldi earned his submission victory utilizing the rare Von Flue choke, becoming the third person in UFC history to do so. The flyweight division also answered some critics *cough* Dana White *cough* thanks to Dustin Ortiz’s record-breaking finish, and Diego Rivas made a welcomed return to the Octagon after defeating testicular cancer following his last bout.

The reason “huh?”, in its various forms, is such a quality reply is simple. The word is as versatile as a response gets, and while it may require some explanation, “huh?” is sometimes the only way to react to the news of today. Defined by Merriam-Webster as an interjection that’s “used to express surprise, disbelief, or confusion, or as an inquiry inviting affirmative reply”, “huh” or “huh?” can mean a lot of different things.

Despite some of the follies of human evolution (see: Another freaking Snapchat), the development and growth of “huh” is something we should embrace. To be the change we want to see in the world, here are a few moments from last night’s action at UFC Mexico City that made us go “huh?”.

Jordan Rinaldi gets win with fourth ever Von Flue choke in UFC history

The first fight of the card, opening up UFC Mexico City on UFC Fight Pass, featured the fourth ever Von Flue choke in the promotion’s history. Huh?

Early in round one, lightweight contender Jordan Rinaldi submitted Alvaro Herrera with the rare choke, after an early guillotine attempt from Herrera went awry. Holding Rinaldi’s head underneath his left arm for far too long, Rinaldi was able to use the cage to his advantage and rebound from his loss to Abel Trujillo in his UFC debut last year, moving his record to 1-1 in the promotion.

Originally showcased to the masses by Jason Von Flue at UFC Fight Night 3 in January of 2006, the Von Flue choke has hit a resurgence in 2017. Light heavyweight contender Ovince Saint Preux secured his second career Von Flue choke in April of this year, submitting Marcos Rogerio de Lima in the second round. Rinaldi now joins Von Flue and Saint Preux in the club, and has some momentum to build upon following his first win in the UFC.

Here is the rare Von Flue Choke, as executed by @JordanRinaldi on Álvaro Herrera. #UFCMexico https://t.co/LjPMq8UVwB

— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) August 6, 2017

Diego Rivas returns to the Octagon after defeating cancer

Fighting for the first time in 18 months, after discovering he had testicular cancer, and then defeating it, Diego Rivas’ made his return to the Octagon at UFC Mexico City. Huh.

Diagnosed following his flying-knee knockout victory over Noad Lahat in February of 2016, Rivas’ life drastically changed. The 7-0 prospect and former competitor on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America questioned not only whether or not he would fight again, but how much longer he would live.

“It’s very hard to put into words,” Rivas told UFC.com‘s Thomas Gerbasi about the diagnosis. “I was shocked, obviously. Really, I had no immediate reaction. After the news settled in with me, I thought that my career was over. I thought nothing else was possible after my diagnosis, especially competing as an athlete. Honestly, I thought I was going to die.” – via MMA Junkie

Although the return could’ve gone better, as Rivas lost a unanimous decision to Jose Alberto Quinonez at UFC Mexico City, the Chilean still looked game. Making his bantamweight debut, Rivas will be back in the Octagon soon enough. Now that he’s overcome cancer, rebounding from the loss to Quinonez will be a walk in the park.

Dustin Ortiz earns fastest finish in UFC flyweight history

Taking on one of the division’s rising prospects at UFC Mexico City, promotion veteran Dustin Ortiz secured the fastest finish in UFC flyweight history. Huh?

Flyweights are boring! UFC President Dana White said so! Apparently Ortiz wasn’t paying attention to his boss’ recent thoughts on the promotion’s 125-pound division. Knocking-out prospect Hector Sandoval in 15 seconds on Saturday night, Ortiz rebounded from his April loss to UFC Mexico City headliner Brandon Moreno in record-breaking fashion. In the first flurry of the fight, Ortiz landed a heavy right that dropped Sandoval, requiring a few follow-up strikes to earn the quick win.

Ranked in the top-15 in the UFC official flyweight rankings going into the fight, Ortiz will now be looking toward a top-10 bout after winning two of his last three fights at 125-pounds. You can check out the entire fight below.

If you missed the Ortiz-Sandoval match, don't worry…here's the entire fight! Fastest KO in UFC flyweight history! https://t.co/2tDvCoks0W

— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) August 6, 2017

Although it may not have received much notoriety in the build-up to the card, UFC Mexico City was extremely entertaining. Featuring more than a few first-round finishes, some upsets, some records being broken, rare submissions, and heartwarming stories, UFC Mexico City exceeded expectations. Huh.

Huh? for the road

"That's three." #UFCMexico https://t.co/LEp9SyS3yd

— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) August 6, 2017

The post UFC Mexico City: Three “Huh?” Moments from Last Night’s Event appeared first on Cageside Press.

It was the first UFC card in Mexico since November of 2016, when Rafael dos Anjos and Tony Ferguson headlined The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 3 Finale at the same venue. Before top-tier contenders Brandon Moreno and Sergio Pettis took the stage for the main event of UFC Mexico City, the Fox Sports 1 preliminary card got things going. Of the four fights on the FS1 prelims, two were from the bantamweight division, with one additional bout coming from each of the flyweight and middleweight divisions.

In the opener, former The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 1 show-mates Jose Alberto Quinonez and Diego Rivas got the opportunity to showcase how much they’ve grown in the nearly three years since the season took place. Veteran 135-pounders Henry Briones and Rani Yahya were also set to face off, while Dustin Ortiz and Hector Sandoval attempted to gain ground in the 125-pound weight class. In the featured fight, middleweights Brad Scott and Jack Hermansson both looked to improve to 2-0 in the UFC in 2017.

Check back for a full recap of all the FS1 preliminary card action, highlights, and results!

Jose Alberto Quinonez vs. Diego Rivas

Recording a win in each of the last two years, Jose Alberto Quinonez attempted to make it three in-a-row in his 2017 UFC debut against the undefeated Diego Rivas. Rivas had fought just once since November of 2014, defeating Noad Lahat with a flying-knee knockout in February of last year. Following that bout, Rivas discovered he had testicular cancer. After surgery and chemotherapy, and lots of perseverance, Rivas was back in the Octagon Saturday night.

A largely uneventful first-round saw Rivas attack the legs of Quinonez with hard kicks on a regular basis, while Quinonez landed from distance, eventually drawing blood from Rivas’ nose as the round ended. The second stanza was a bit more active, with Rivas pressing forward more, and both fighters throwing more strikes. Rivas looked to be getting the better of Quinonez, before a quick takedown gave the Mexican dominant position. He used that position well, maintaining control and landing ground-strikes from a variety of positions throughout the final 90-seconds of round two, likely taking a 20-18 lead into round three.

Quinonez looked the more comfortable fighter in the opening minutes of the final round, controlling the range and style of the fight. Rivas was unable to land consistent strikes, or get inside the reach of Quinonez for any significant period of time. And when they did clinch, about half-way through the round, it resulted in another takedown for Quinonez. A scramble gave Rivas dominant position, but he wasn’t able to take advantage, and Quinonez got back to his feet in seconds. Rivas fought tough in a difficult matchup, while Quinonez looked impressive, taking the unanimous decision victory in his home country.

José Alberto "El Teco" Quiñónez earns his third straight win against a game Diego Rivas at #UFCMexico! https://t.co/wqa0KqUOTu

— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) August 6, 2017

Jose Alberto Quinonez def. Diego Rivas via unanimous decision (30-27×3)

Henry Briones vs. Rani Yahya

Rani Yahya, and his Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills, is one of the toughest matchups in the UFC’s bantamweight division. Following his loss to Joe Soto at UFC Fortaleza in March of 2017, he was hungry for a win. His opponent, Henry Briones, is a similarly difficult bout, despite losing his last two fights to Cody Garbrandt and Douglas Silva de Andrade.

The bout quickly began in Yahya’s favor, going to the ground within the first minute of the first round. With Yahya working for a variety of submissions, from a variety of positions, Briones was on defense from the start. Battling, Briones was able to escape a north-south choke, while Yahya took half-guard. Seconds later, Yahya was working for a kimura, and seconds after that, Briones was tapping. The win was Yahya’s fifth in his last six bouts, dating back to September of 2014, and his first submission-finish since June of 2016.

Rani Yahya gets the grip and locks in the Kimura on Henry Briones. This is Yahya's 18th submission win! #UFCMexico https://t.co/PqXfYkPElB

— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) August 6, 2017

Rani Yahya def. Henry Briones via submission (kimura) at 2:01 of Round 1

Dustin Ortiz vs. Hector Sandoval

One of the UFC flyweight divison’s rising prospects, Hector Sandoval, went to war with promotional veteran Dustin Ortiz at UFC Mexico City. Although Ortiz had lost three of his last four bouts, and four of his last six, coming into the event, his top-15 spot in the UFC’s flyweight official rankings is well deserved. This was the fourth UFC bout of Sandoval’s career, compared to the 11th for Ortiz, who also fought twice in Strikeforce.

It didn’t take long, as Ortiz landed a huge right-hand and followed it up with several more strikes in the opening exchange, knocking-out Sandoval in 15 seconds. The finish was the fastest in UFC flyweight history, and gave Ortiz his first win since a split-decision victory over Zach Makovsky at UFC 206.

If you missed the Ortiz-Sandoval match, don't worry…here's the entire fight! Fastest KO in UFC flyweight history! https://t.co/2tDvCoks0W

— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) August 6, 2017

Dustin Ortiz def. Hector Sandoval via knockout (punches) at 0:15 of Round 1

Brad Scott vs. Jack Hermansson

The first of two middleweight bouts at UFC Mexico City featured 28-year-old Englishman Brad Scott and 29-year-old Swede Jack Hermansson. Scott had been consistently-inconsistent since joining the UFC in December of 2012. Going 3-3, alternating losses and wins, Scott had the chance to secure back-to-back wins at UFC Mexico City. That was a tough ask against Hermansson, who’s 15-3 overall record going into the bout included a 2-1 record in the UFC since September of 2016.

Feeling each other out over the course of the first minute of the fight, Hermansson would shoot and land his first takedown attempt of the bout. Pinning Scott aginst the cage, Hermansson kept top-position, tiring out Scott for the majority of the round. Constantly pressuring, Hermansson took Scott’s back, and then moved to mount, before grounding-and-pounding his way to his 16th career professional victory in impressive fashion.

Joker's Wild! Jack Hermansson's brutal ground and pound puts away a tough Brad Scott at #UFCMexico! https://t.co/zt4KBaEkWV

— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) August 6, 2017

Jack Hermansson def. Brad Scott via TKO (ground strikes) at 3:50 of Round 1

UFC Mexico City (UFC Fight Night 114) FS1 Preliminary Card Results:

Jack Hermansson def. Brad Scott via TKO (ground strikes) at 3:50 of Round 1

Dustin Ortiz def. Hector Sandoval via knockout (punches) at 0:15 of Round 1 (Fastest finish in UFC flyweight history)

Rani Yahya def. Henry Briones via submission (kimura) at 2:01 of Round 1

Jose Alberto Quinonez def. Diego Rivas via unanimous decision (30-27×3)

The post UFC Mexico City: Fox Sports 1 Prelims Results and Recaps appeared first on Cageside Press.