In the fourth bout of the UFC 144 preliminary card, Vaughan Lee survived an early barrage by opponent Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto and ended up submitting him with an armbar, becoming the first man to ever submit Kid. The finish came at 4:29 of the first round. The bout was the third of four that aired on FX. After the fight, Kid looked very dejected and seemed to understand that his run in the UFC is now over.
Yamamoto started well, dropping Lee with a solid right hand and unloading with a barrage of shots against the cage. Lee defended well though, and Yamamoto didn’t switch it up and go to the body or throw an uppercut, both of which looked to be there for the taking. After Lee was able to get away from that, he cracked Kid with a knee that clearly stunned him, and another big shot forced Yamamoto into a desperation takedown. Lee quickly took over from the bottom though, transitioning from a triangle to an armbar that forced the tap.
What was the high spot of this fight?
The fight had a few highlights, but Lee’s quick triangle and switch to the armbar was textbook.
Where do these guys go from here?
Lee entered the bout as what many assumed as a handpicked opponent to make Yamamoto look good and give him a win. Instead, the British bantamweight picked up his first win in the UFC and could be around for a while. If Edwin Figueroa would be a logical next opponent for Lee.
Yamamoto has lost all three of his UFC bouts and is likely to be released. He is still popular in Japan though, and could end up fighting for any number of Japanese promotions. Another option could be ONE FC.
Watch it now, later or never?
Now. The bout is full of action and definitely worth five minutes of your time.
More Bloody Elbow coverage of UFC 144 in the full entry.
- UFC 144 Results: Winners, Losers, And Other Thoughts – Matthew Roth
- UFC 144 Results: Frankie Edgar Doesn’t ‘Need’ To Drop To Featherweight – Brent Brookhouse
- UFC 144 Results: Rampage Jackson Goes Out Like A Lamb In Loss To Ryan Bader – Nate Wilcox
- UFC 144 Results: Ben Henderson And Anthony Pettis Ready For Rematch – Nate Wilcox
- UFC 144: Edgar Vs. Henderson Results And Post-Fight Analysis – Brent Brookhouse
- UFC 144 Results: Dana White Says Anthony Pettis Will ‘Likely’ Get Next UFC Lightweight Title Shot – Bloody Elbow
- UFC 144 Post-Fight Press Conference Video
- UFC Japan Video: Georges St. Pierre Gets Attacked By A Mob Of Kids With Samurai Foam Swords – Bloody Elbow
- Bad Boy Presents Bloody Elbow Radio – Episode 139: UFC 144 Results Review
- UFC 144 Results: Ryan Bader Dominates Rampage Jackson To Decision – Matthew Roth
- UFC 144 Results: Mark Hunt Knocks Out Cheick Kongo In The First Round – Matthew Roth
- UFC 144 Results: Jake Shields Wins Hard Fought Decision Over Yoshihiro Akiyama – Matthew Roth
- UFC 144 Results: Tim Boetsch Upsets Yushin Okami In The Third Round – Matthew Roth
- UFC 144 Post-Fight Press Conference Video
- UFC 144 Results: Hatsu Hioki Defeats Bart Palaszewski By Unanimous Decision – Matthew Roth
- UFC 144 Results: Anthony Pettis Knocks Out Joe Lauzon In The First Round – Matthew Roth
- UFC 144 Results: Takanori Gomi Stops Eiji Mitsuoka In The Second – Matthew Roth
- UFC 144 Results: Vaughan Lee Submits Kid Yamamoto With An Armbar – Matthew Roth
- UFC 144 Results: Riki Fukuda Dominates Steve Cantwell To Decision – Matthew Roth
- UFC 144 Results: Chris Cariaso Defeats Takeya Mizugaki By Unanimous Decision – Matthew Roth
- UFC 144 Results: Issei Tamura Knocks Out Tiequan Zhang – Matthew Roth
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