Rafael Alves danced and flipped his way into the octagon at UFC Fight Night 197 then proceeded to manhandle Marc Diakiese for a first-round finish.
Alves (20-10 MMA, 1-1 UFC) hurt Diakiese (14-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC) with a big shot in the opening round of their lightweight bout on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. He pounced once he got close after the initial blow, locking in a guillotine choke that forced his opponent to tap out at the 1:48 mark of Round 1.
Check out a replay of Alves’ handiwork below (via Twitter):
WHAT A FINISH FOR @Rafael_TheTurn 🔥
[ #UFCVegas42 | Prelims are LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/vrZ1028Kg5
— UFC (@ufc) November 13, 2021
Statement made for his first UFC victory 👏
[ @Rafael_TheTurn | #UFCVegas42 | Prelims are LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/MWTFnaNvri
— UFC (@ufc) November 13, 2021
After suffering a loss in his promotional debut earlier this year, Alves gave a more complete outlook on what he’s all about by putting away Diakiese, who has now lost back-to-back fights and is winless since September 2019.
“I’m ready upstairs (on the feet), downstairs (on the ground) – I’ll get it,” Alves said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “Dana (White) I’m here to be a champion. I’m born to be a champion.”
Up-to-the-moment results of UFC Fight Night 197 include:
- Rafael Alves def. Marc Diakiese via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 1:48
- Da Un Jung def. Kennedy Nzechukwu via knockout (elbows) – Round 1, 3:04
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