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UFC Vegas 31 saw some incredible prospects bag the spotlight with even more incredible finishes. Furthermore, the evergreen notion amongst MMA fans of grappling and wrestling being "lack-lustre" was done away with by some brilliant submission finishes. The overall level of ground game put on display by several fighters on the card was exceptional.
The main event saw an ace wrestler in Islam Makhachev prove his efficiency on the ground yet again against a formidable Thiago Moises. The co-main event saw one of the pioneers of women's MMA, Miesha Tate, make her comeback to the octagon after five years away from professional competition. She took on Marion Reneau in her last career fight.
Miesha Tate announced her return to active competition in spectacular fashion, putting her polished skills on the feet and ground on display. She secured guard on the ground at the start of the third round and started pounding away with ground-and-pound. The referee stepped in and stopped the fight after watching enough strikes go unanswered. Miesha Tate became the first fighter to finish Marion Reneau.
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The entire card of UFC Vegas 31 radiated high-level MMA.
Let's take a look at the best finishes from UFC Vegas 31:
#5. Rodrigo Nascimento Ferreira begins UFC Vegas 31 with bonus-winning KO of Alan Baudot
UFC Vegas 31 kicked off with a heavyweight clash between Alan Baudot and Rodrigo Nascimento Ferreira.
The first round of the fight saw Alan Baudot take control of the fight on the feet. He threw devastating strikes at Nascimento, testing his chin throughout the round. The fast start in Baudot's favor essentially made on-lookers believe that he was going to win the fight. However, Nascimento wove together the perfect comeback in round two to turn the tide in his favor.
In the second round, Nascimento began teeing off on Baudot. He kept his striking technical and used it to back his opponent against the cage. Nascimento then connected precisely and kept going off until the referee stepped in between him and a kneeling Baudot.
Rodrigo Nascimento's exceptional comeback earned him the Performance of the Night bonus at UFC Vegas 31.
#4. Islam Makhachev wins his first UFC main event by submitting Thiago Moises at UFC Vegas 31
Islam Makhachev locked horns with Thiago Moises in the main event of UFC Vegas 31. Although Islam Makhachev was a huge favorite coming into this fight, Thiago Moises proved to be much more of a challenge than the odds had predicted him to be.
The fighters battled on their feet for the majority of the first round. Islam Makhachev looked confident on the feet and very efficient with his striking. Thiago Moises, too, was efficient on the feet with his precision.
However, Moises was unable to maneuver the fight around. He inevitably got his back against the fence during most of the exchanges on the feet throughout the fight. This provided Islam Makhachev with an ideal situation to switch and shoot for takedowns when he felt the need to.
Islam Makhachev used his impeccable wrestling skills to keep the judges' scorecards in his favor. In round four, he was able to slip in a hook from behind and successfully lock in a clean rear-naked choke.
Thiago Moises, having defended various other attacks before with great skill, was unable to do so this time around and tapped.
Islam Makhachev won the fight via submission in round four of the fight.
#3. Mateusz Gamrot bursts onto lightweight scene with quick win over veteran Jeremy Stephens
Mateusz Gamrot put on a stellar performance at UFC Vegas 31 as he took on a staple of the UFC roster for many years: 'Lil Heathens' Jeremy Stephens.
Gamrot recognized the powerful striker in Jeremy Stephens and shot for a takedown as soon as the fight started. He successfully got Jeremy Stephens on the ground and scrambled to establish a side guard. Thereafter, Gamrot locked in a Kimura hold and pushed with strength to make Stephens tap out.
In only 1:05 of the very first round, Mateusz Gamrot defeated Jeremy Stephens via Kimura submission.
#2. Amanda Lemos makes quick work of Montserrat Ruiz at UFC Vegas 31
Women's strawweight fighter Amanda Lemos made a thunderous statement at UFC Vegas 31 as she took on Montserrat Ruiz on the preliminary card.
As soon as the fight started, Montserrat Ruiz began throwing strikes and closing the distance. Amanda Lemos stayed patient and allowed Ruiz to close in while remaining in the center of the octagon.
As Ruiz began to throw a right jab, Amanda Lemos moved back and caught her with a slamming right check hook - all with lightning speed. The hook hit its target and staggered Ruiz. Lemos quickly followed up with a quick one-two that knocked Ruiz down before engaging in ground-and-pound.
The referee stepped in as soon as Ruiz hit the canvas, and Lemos barely landed a ground-and-pound strike before the fight was called to a stop. Lemos won the fight via KO.
#1. Rodolfo Vieira puts exceptional BJJ skills on display against Dustin Stoltzfus at UFC Vegas 31
Rodolfo Vieira backed his top-of-the-world BJJ credentials yet again inside the octagon as he took on Dustin Stoltzfus at UFC Vegas 31. Stoltzfus was, of course, aware of Vieira's exceptional skills on the ground, and thus, did his best to keep the fight on the feet.
However, Vieira was not completely overwhelmed on the feet. In fact, he gave Stoltzfus a run for his money in all of their exchanges. He used his power and patience to keep his opponent from getting too comfortable.
The fight entered the third round with no clear victor. During an exchange, Vieira switched from a side-guard to a semi-clinch against the fence. He jumped and swayed his body mid-air to wrap his legs around Stoltzfus with his arm neatly hooked-in for a rear naked choke. The unorthodox yet brilliant move helped him perfectly lock in the submission. As soon as the two fell to the ground on Vieira's back, Stoltzsuf tapped due to the tight grip Vieira had around his neck.
This marked Vieira's seventh submission win out of eight career wins in total, with the one non-submission victory having come via KO.
Vieira became one of the six recipients of the Performance of the Night Bonus at UFC Vegas 31, thanks to his excellent BJJ and quick thinking.
Also read: UFC Vegas 31 bonuses: Which fighters won $50,000?
