TUF 19 Finale Prelims Recap: Adriano Martins Picks Up Highlight Finish
The preliminary fights are in the bag from The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale and they kicked things off with a bang.The event is currently underway from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, so stay tuned to LowKick for full coverage of the card.
Kicking off the prelims was a heavyweight battle between jiu-jitsu world champion Robert Drysdale and Keith Berish, who were both making their debut inside the Octagon. Drysdale didn’t take long to show why he had so much hype coming in as he took Berish’s back before submitting him in just over two minutes.
TUF 18 semi-finalist Sarah Moras managed to pick up her first official win inside the Octagon, taking a questionable decision over Alexis Dufresne who was also making her UFC debut. Despite controlling Moras for the majority of the fight, Dufresne wasn’t given the nod and lost the first bout of her professional career.
Next up was the first fight featuring contestants from TUF 19 as Team Edgar’s Patrick Walsh met Team Penn’s Dan Spohn. Wrestling proved to be the big difference here, as Walsh controlled Spohn with takedowns to take the decision.
Adriano Martins got back in the win column after that in spectacular fashion, knocking out Juan Manuel Puig Carreon with a perfectly timed right hook.
Bantamweights Leandro Issa and Jumabieke Tuerxun delivered one of the most entertaining fights of the undercard after going at it for the majority of the fight before Issa found the sub in the third.
The feature prelim bout saw lightweights Kevin Lee and Jesse Ronson go to war for three straight rounds in a highly-entertaining clash. Ronson put in solid performance and was constantly looking for the finish, but he was outgrappled by Lee which ultimately lost him the decision.
TUF 19 Finale Preliminary Results:
Robert Drysdale def. Keith Berish via submission (rear-naked choke) – round 1 2:03
Sarah Moras def. Alexis Dufresne via unanimous decision
Patrick Walsh def. Dan Spohn via unanimous decision
Adriano Martins def. Juan Manuel Puig Carreon via knockout in round 1 – 2:21
Leandro Issa def. Jumabieke Tuerxun via submission (armbar) in round 1 – 3:49
Kevin Lee def. Jesse Ronson via split decision
