#UFCVegas52 was the place to be on Saturday, April 23, 2022, with actually attending the event not an option. As it is, scrolling Twitter while watching UFC events go together like Claudio Puelles and kneebar finishes anyway – they’re a perfect combination. With Jessica Andrade headlining the evening, there was a solid draw to an otherwise underwhelming card on paper. Considering that the majority of the card had five or fewer fights on their resume, it was a great evening to see some of the rising talents in the sport. The veterans of the UFC were showing their support for the night’s fighters in 280 characters. Here’s what they were saying.
Signature Move For the Win for Puelles
Claudio “El Niño” Puelles is a submission star on the rise, winning with yet another kneebar. Less than a minute into the fight, Puelles already had Clay Guida on the ground, transitioning from submission attempt to submission attempt. With his back on the ground, the young grappler quickly flipped the switch and rotated Guida into a kneebar that quickly forced the tap. The lightweight earned recognition from the division’s fifth-ranked challenger Michael Chandler who presumed the exchange to be “the fastest knee bar transition you’ve ever seen.”
That has to be the fastest knee bar transition you’ve ever seen. #ufcvegas52
— Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) April 24, 2022
Maycee Barber “Checkmates” Montana De La Rosa
Both Barber and De La Rosa are fighters who will go with the flow of the match, and on Saturday night, that flow took them into a wrestling contest. Knotted up for most of the bout, each showed their skill by countering the other with small, precise movements. Lightweight fighter John Makdessi checked in, applauding the “amazing technique & skill on full display”, and describing the affair as a “wrestling chess match”. Going to the scorecards, the officials declared Barber the winner by unanimous decision, as she had done more damage to De La Rosa by the clock’s end.
What a wrestling chess match these women are displaying. Amazing technique & skill on full display #UFCVegas52
— John Wayne Makdessi (@JohnMakdessi) April 24, 2022
“Air” Jourdain Drops the Guillotine
Lando Vannata has been in the UFC since 2016, meaning he has a respectable grasp on the fundamentals. The difference between champions and fighters, however, is the ability to call on those basics when you need them. Bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling called out Vannata’s errors on Twitter, emphasizing “Fight the hands!!” If only Vannata’s corner had been shouting the same thing, the result may have been different. In the end, Vannata lost to Charles Jourdain in the first round by guillotine choke.
Chokes like that annoy me. It’s like, bro, do you train BJJ at all?? C’mon son! No disrespect, but it’s basic choke defense. “Fight the hands!!”
If he gets it after that, then I respect it a lot more. Jourdain did his thing!! #UFCVegas52— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) April 24, 2022
Recognize Her Greatness
Andrade’s return to the strawweight certainly impacts anyone else looking to rise in the division by adding another champion-caliber fighter to the ranks. Sometimes, no matter how an individual may be impacted, game has to recognize game. Strawweight fighter Diana Belbita certainly recognized the greatness of Andrade on Twitter, posting “WOW!!! ANDRADE IS A BEAST!!”, emphasizing it with a flame emoji. Dana White must’ve felt similarly, awarding Andrade with one of the two Performance of the Night bonuses for $50,000. You can check out how much she and the others earned in total in our UFC Vegas 52 Payouts and Bonuses feature.
Surely Andrade is back in the strawweight division to contend for a title, but how long she stays is yet unknown. A former champion at strawweight, she was just contending at the flyweight level in her last bout. If Belbita can work her way into contention, this tweet could be a fun call-back to share in the fight promo. By the way, Andrade’s standing armbar victory was the first in UFC history.
WOW!!! ANDRADE IS A BEAST!!!🔥#UFCVegas52
— Diana Belbiță (@DianaBelbita) April 24, 2022
#UFCVegas52 Results
Main Card
- Jessica Andrade submitted No.10 Amanda Lemos by standing arm triangle
- Alexandr Romanov vs Chase Sherman – Heavyweight – CANCELED
- Claudio Puelles submitted Clay Guida by kneebar in Round 1
- Charles Jourdain submitted Lando Vannata by guillotine choke in Round 1
- Maycee Barber vs Montana De La Rosa – Women’s Flyweight
- Sumdaerji vs Manel Kape – Flyweight – CANCELED
Prelims
- Preston Parsons won by unanimous decision over Evan Elder
- Marc-Andre Barriault submitted Jordan Wright by guillotine choke in Round 1
- Sergey Khandozhko defeated Dwight Grant by TKO in Round 2
- Tyson Pedro defeated Ike Villanueva by TKO in Round 1
- Aoriqileng defeated Cameron Else by TKO in Round 1
- Philipe Lins won by unanimous decision over Marcin Prachnio
- Mike Jackson defeated Dean Barry by DQ in Round 1
