The main event of UFC Fight Night 170 has finished following an explosive, quick co-main event that saw Gilbert Burns finish Demian Maia in the first round.
The bout was a highly anticipated lightweight fight between submission machine Charles Oliveira and talented wrestler Kevin Lee.
Oliveira started out the match hot, pressuring Lee toward the cage. Lee quickly recovered, though, pushing Oliveira back with some heavy strikes of his own. Oliveira shot for a takedown and worked for a heel hook on Lee, but Lee was able to escape. Oliveira once again worked for a leg entanglement, and although he wasn’t able to finish, he had Lee trapped in an uncomfortable position before securing closed guard on him. Lee managed to escape momentarily before once again winding up in Oliveira’s closed guard, the fight essentially turning into a jiu-jitsu match peppered with the occasional series of punches until the clock ran out.
Round two started out much the same as the first, with Oliveira throwing in a few spinning back kicks and push kicks as the fighters exchanged punches. Oliveira landed multiple solid hooks and uppercuts against a noticeably fatigued Lee, who eventually managed to take Oliveira down and landed inside his guard. Oliveira applied a tight armbar and transitioned into an omoplata and loose triangle, but Lee worked his way out and into Oliveira’s half guard. Both fighters were visibly more exhausted by the point, and Lee landed a few light strikes while Oliveira worked to keep his opponent’s arms trapped. Lee got back to his feet as Oliveira worked for another heel hook, but wasn’t able to finish before time ran out.
The third round saw a more aggressive Lee coming at Oliveira with wide hooks and ultimately a takedown that saw him end up in Oliveira’s guillotine. Lee tapped out, but seemed to have not realized that he had tapped out or that the ref had called the fight, holding on to Oliveira for a few seconds before the ref got him off and declared Oliveira the winner by submission.
