5 most explosive moments from UFC Vegas 31: Islam Makhachev vs. Thiago Moises

#2. Mateusz Gamrot pulls off a beautiful submission of UFC veteran Jeremy Stephens

Mateusz Gamrot used a beautiful kimura to submit Jeremy Stephens

UFC Vegas 31’s main card featured five finishes, but most of them came in the later rounds. The lone first-round finish was produced by Mateusz Gamrot, and stood as arguably the most memorable of them all.

Jeremy Stephens had not been submitted in a long time – over a decade to be exact – but he fell to a kimura from ‘Gamer’ in what was a truly eye-opening showing.

Gamrot clearly didn’t want to stand with the dangerous striker, and took him down early on, only for ‘Lil Heathen’ to hunt for a kimura of his own. However, he made the mistake of not really securing body control – a mistake that doesn’t usually matter against lower-level grapplers.

However, Gamrot showed his credentials by using that lack of control to pivot around into a kimura attempt of his own. From there, he applied the hold perfectly, stepping over the head and wrenching Stephens’ arm to torque the shoulder enough to force him to tap out.

This was a brilliant performance from the Poland native, and one that should ensure he’s a man to watch the next time he steps into the UFC octagon. Many fans would claim a submission is never as explosive as a knockout, but this finish suggested otherwise.

Takedown! Kimura! Tap! 🤯📚 Textbook finish by @Gamer_MMA. #UFCVegas31 pic.twitter.com/NDEab0kioW

— UFC (@ufc) July 18, 2021

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#1. Amanda Lemos lands an incredibly clean KO of Montserrat Ruiz

Amanda Lemos landed the night's best knockout against Montserrat Ruiz

UFC Vegas 31 had plenty of finishes, but by far the most explosive came on the preliminary card. In a strawweight bout, Amanda Lemos needed just 35 seconds to turn the lights out on Montserrat Ruiz, scoring one of the most memorable knockouts in some time.

Quite how Lemos didn’t receive a $50k bonus for her efforts is anyone’s guess, as this was a genuine eye-opener that took immense poise, skill and explosive power.

It felt like Lemos was landing cleanly with basically every shot she threw. Her movement allowed her to dodge Ruiz’s attacks with ease, and as she slipped back and out of range, she would throw hard counters that tagged her opponent brutally.

Eventually, a left-right combination dropped Ruiz hard, and from there Lemos wasted no time in finishing her off. It was a truly astonishing knockout, reminiscent of a UFC great like Anderson Silva even.

The win moved Lemos onto a four-fight win streak, and it’s hard not to see her as a genuine UFC title contender at this point. Overall, this was easily the most explosive moment from last night’s UFC Vegas 31 event.

Putting the division on notice! 😳🇧🇷 Lemos ends it in under 1️⃣ minute.[ #UFCVegas31 is LIVE on @ESPN & @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/0i7RZk22wG

— UFC (@ufc) July 18, 2021