At UFC Vegas 72, Rodolfo Vieira demonstrated why he’s one of the most skilled BJJ practitioners in the UFC, submitting Cody Brundage in the second round of their bout. Vieira faced off against collegiate wrestler Brundage, and the matchup between these two grappling specialists promised to be a fascinating one.
Vieira has had an uneven UFC career, with two losses to Anthony Hernandez and Chris Curtis slowing his momentum after a promising 5-0 start. However, Vieira has shown tremendous submission skills in his three UFC wins.
On the other hand, Brundage’s UFC record is similarly mixed, but the intrigue of the event was the fact that neither was experienced as a striker.
I thought it was all over but Vieira survived through the borage 😳. #UFCVegas72 pic.twitter.com/bsJ2sz4Lua
— El Champ Champ (@ElChampChampMMA) April 30, 2023
The first round saw Brundage come out strong, quickly hurting Vieira with his striking. However, Vieira was able to take Brundage down and push him up against the fence, but not before dealing an accidental knee to the groin.
Grande recuperação de Rodolfo Vieira no final do primeiro round! 💪
Estão acompanhando o brasileiro? #UFCVegas72
[ Ao vivo no @UFCFightPassBR ➡️ https://t.co/iAvMFO4Ruy ] pic.twitter.com/r1PcmszQVj
— UFC Brasil (@UFCBrasil) April 30, 2023
Once the action was restarted, Brundage hurt Vieira again, this time knocking him down to the canvas. While on top, Brundage dealt significant damage, but Vieira worked to execute a half guard sweep, eventually getting Brundage to the fence and taking his back with only 50 seconds left in the round.
Despite being unable to finish with his signature RNC, Vieira did enough damage to keep the score even going into the second round. In the second round, Vieira quickly took control, pressing Brundage into the clinch and eventually securing an arm triangle hold that transitioned into a mount and finished.
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The victory demonstrated Vieira’s toughness and gas tank, which he has developed since his first loss in the UFC. The bout against Hernandez saw Vieira as a massive favorite, but he wilted after not getting the submission early on. However, in this outing against Brundage, despite eating an enormous amount of damage, Vieira came back and secured his first win in two years.
