MEXICO CITY – Claudio Puelles beat Marcos Mariano with a dominant unanimous decision Saturday to open the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN+ 17 in Mexico City.
Take a look inside the fight with Puelles, who was fighting for the first time in 16 months.
Result: Claudio Puelles def. Marcos Mariano via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-25)
Updated records: Puelles (9-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC), Mariano (6-6 MMA, 0-2 UFC)
Key stat: Puelles outstruck Mariano 76-3 and landed four takedowns.
Puelles on the fight’s key moment
“I saw the kimura – he was holding his own shorts. I was almost getting it done, but it was fine. I got the win. … I got the takedowns pretty easy. Once he was defending the single-leg, I got the body lock and he was already down.”
Puelles on getting dominant scores after a layoff
“I wasn’t really active this year because I have been recovering. I am very happy to come back with a win after a little stumble in 2016. What better way to go back home than with (three) 30-25s – there is nothing better than that”
Puelles on what he wants next
“I would like to train very hard now. I want to break my own barriers and with it, I can beat anyone. I have no one in mind for my next fight. I just want to be able to fight with whoever they decide and walk out with a win.”
To hear more from Puelles, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
