Jonathan Pearce on Saturday showed once again how little betting odds mean in MMA at UFC on ESPN 18.
Pearce (10-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC) was a rather sizable betting underdog against Kai Kamaka III (8-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in their featherweight matchup, but that meant nothing to him.
There was no fear from Pearce from the outset at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. He went head-to-head with Kamaka, engaging in all sorts of striking and grappling exchanges. He got a dominant position, then pounded his way to a TKO at the 4:28 mark of Round 2.
Check out the replay of Pearce’s win below (via Twitter):
WHAT A PERFORMANCE by @JSPMMA!!#UFCVegas15 live on ESPNews and E+ pic.twitter.com/YZ5DfSA4qj
— UFC (@ufc) November 29, 2020
Following his first UFC victory, Pearce fought back emotions but was thrilled to finally get his hand raised on the biggest stage in the sport.
“I thought he was going to put up more of a fight than that,” Pearce said in his post-fight interview with Paul Felder. “This is everything. This was for everything.”
