Claudio Puelles, a purple belt in luta livre, earned his 2nd straight kneebar finish on Saturday night’s UFC card with a win over Clay Guida. He now has 4 kneebar finishes and 7 submissions total in his career.
In his post-fight interview, Puelles told Daniel Cormier that he doesn’t really practice the kneebar,
“I don’t practice this at the gym. I just do it. I just do it because I know how to hit it. I try to keep it like, mystic, you know? I don’t want to hit it every day. Every once in a while, and that once in a while is in the fights.â€
The fight hit the ground within a minute as Guida shot for a single leg, but Puelles was quick to jump on a guillotine and pull guard. Puelles showcased some smooth grappling as he transitioned from a triangle attempt, to armbar attempt, omoplata, back to triangle attempt, into a tight armbar, and another omoplata where the two finally hit a brief stalemate. Puelles peppered some shots at Guida, encouraging a quick scramble that led to Guida’s escape.
However, Puelles maintained z-guard and jumped onto Guida’s leg as soon as he saw the opportunity, leading to a quick tap from Guida. One of the smoothest moments of the night.
One of the slickest kneebars you will ever see ?
— UFC (@ufc) April 24, 2022
[ @Prince_Of_Peru | #UFCVegas52 ]
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