Charles Jourdain needed to start out his new Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) contract on the correct foot. He succeeded in his mission by successful by knockout within the third spherical towards the Argentinian Marcelo Rojo in a spectacular combat.
For Jourdain (11-3-1), it was his second UFC victory in 5 makes an attempt. It was his first win since December 2019 when he defeated Korean Doo Ho Choi additionally by knockout.
After two shared first rounds, the Quebecer started the third assault with a way of urgency. He set the tempo and jostled Rojo.
Then, within the third minute, he knocked out the Argentine (16-7) with a strong again hand. Jourdain didn't ask for a lot. He jumped on the likelihood to harm Rojo whereas he was on the bottom.
Rojo, a fighter who often strikes at 135 lbs, tried to outlive till the tip of the combat, however Jourdain got here again to complete the job. Blows to the physique and head compelled the referee to cease the conflict.
“The yr 2020 has been troublesome for me. I didn't win a victory, mentioned Charles Jourdain when interviewed by Daniel Cormier on the American community ESPN. I intend to achieve success this yr.
“He (Rojo) hurt me a few times and he was dangerous. I realized that he was a credible opponent even if he accepted the fight at the last minute. ”
Leg in dangerous form
During the primary two assaults, Jourdain was principally content material to go together with single photographs together with his left leg.
However, Rojo tailored rapidly by tackling Jourdain's left leg. Fabio Holanda's protégé paid the worth, however he confirmed resilience particularly within the second spherical. He suffered a flurry of blows particularly, however the two-time TKO MMA champion took all of it.
Not to say that the cutman utilized ice to his proper foot after the primary two rounds. We can think about that Jordan shall be stiff on Sunday morning when he will get up from his mattress.
After his draw verdict towards Josh Culibao final October, Jourdain not solely needed to signal a victory, however he needed to take action with an exclamation mark. Mission achieved and will probably be fascinating to see which opponent the UFC places in entrance of it in its subsequent combat.
Quebecer Yohan Lainesse remained undefeated amongst professionals in blended martial arts this week (6-0). He gained a unanimous resolution (29-28x) victory over Troy Green at a Cage Fury Fighting Championships gala.
Meanwhile, Corinne Laframboise and Xavier Alaoui will return to the cage for the UAE Warriors 18 occasion which shall be introduced subsequent Saturday in Abu Dhabi. Alaoui, who's the bantamweight champion, shall be making his first title protection.