The phrase “getting caught with your pants down” rarely has good connotations.
It usually means you’ve been caught unprepared, caught unaware, or worst, you’ve literally been caught cheating on your spouse or partner.
But for Gavin Tucker, having his pants down turned out out to be the point at which his UFC on ESPN+ 32 bout with Justin Jaynes (16-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) turned in his favor.
Jaynes had dominated the opening round of the bout, including securing a tight guillotine choke. But Canadian featherweight Tucker (12-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) managed to escape, then maneuvered Jaynes into a tight head-and-arm choke of his own.
Tucker’s fight shorts fell off in the process. But that didn’t detract from his laser focus on finishing the fight. In his underwear, Tucker bore down for a near-submission, with Jaynes getting saved by the horn.
From there, the fight was all Tucker’s. He turned up the heat in Round 2. Jaynes survived the round, but in the final frame, Tucker picked Jaynes apart in the standup, got a tight rear-naked choke – this time with his trunks in proper position – and got the tapout at the 1:43 mark.
That’s two straight wins for Tucker. And hey, maybe when the Reebok era is done, Venum will get him a pair of properly fitting trunks.
UFC on ESPN+ 32 took place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streamed on ESPN+.
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