UFC bantamweight Quang Le earned his first win inside the Octagon in style at UFC Des Moines.
The UFC Des Moines prelims got off to a sluggish start with back-to-back fights going the distance. But the third fight of the card turned the tide and featured the event’s first stoppage of the evening.
Recent bantamweight signee Quang Le took on the always-dangerous Gaston Bolanos in an intriguing matchup on the preliminary portion of UFC Des Moines. Le was looking to earn his first UFC victory after back-to-back losses to begin his tenure with the promotion.
After a back-and-forth first round, it didn’t take long for Le to earn a much-needed victory.
Quang Le sleeps Gaston Bolanos for first-career UFC win
It was a competitive first round between Le and Bolanos, as both fighters traded big shots on the feet and had some wild scrambles on the ground. Bolanos had Le in brief trouble in Round 1, landing some big shots on the feet.
But Round 2 belonged to Le, as he wasted no time landing some big shots before landing a big takedown with his wrestling. Le quickly transitioned to Bolanos’s back, sinking in a rear-naked choke that sent Bolanos unconscious.
Check out Le’s finish below.
Le got back in the win column after back-to-back losses to begin his UFC tenure. He lost to Chris Gutierrez by unanimous decision last August before a brutal knockout defeat to Long Xiao in November.
Before signing with the UFC last year, Le attracted the attention of the UFC matchmakers with an impressive run in LFA. He won his first seven professional fights overall, including back-to-back first-round knockouts before joining the UFC bantamweight roster.
Jon Jones’s teammate faces possible release after disappointing loss at UFC Des Moines
Le’s win adds to an eventful night for the UFC bantamweight division, as UFC Des Moines was headlined by Cory Sandhagen vs. Deiveson Figueiredo. The winner would move one step closer to a title shot.
During the UFC Des Moines prelims, Jon Jones’s teammate Don’Tale Mayes suffered a disappointing defeat to former LFA champ Thomas Petersen in a heavyweight bout. Mayes suffered his third consecutive defeat after recent losses to Shamil Gaziev and Valter Walker.
UFC strawweight mainstay Marina Rodriguez announced her retirement after a loss to Gillian Robertson at UFC Des Moines. Rodriguez was a common presence in the strawweight Top 15, earning wins over the likes of Michelle Waterson-Gomez and Mackenzie Dern.
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