“The leg kicks hurt,” Diego Ferreira said after his UFC 246 match against Anthony Pettis, but he said it as the victor so ultimately he’ll be fine. Ferreira finished veteran Pettis by supertight RNC/neck crank in the second round.
The pair exchanged some early blows, but it was Ferreira’s first takedown of Pettis in Round 1 which alerted fans that Pettis, no slouch on the ground, may have been in over his head. Pettis exploded out of Ferreira’s ensuing back control, making it back to his feet and landing a high kick. In the last minute of the round Ferreira managed to get another takedown and move into side control, with Pettis spinning out of danger again. Ferreira was ready once the second bell rang, however. Catching a the opening leg kick from Pettis, Ferreira slipped his forearm around Pettis’ neck and jaw before the pair fully hit the ground. Once there it was only about a breath before Pettis, face contorted in pain, tapped.
UFC didn’t manage to post the tap itself, but they shared the moments after:
Ferreira hasn’t lost a match since 2015, when he was defeated by Dustin Poirier. He fought just a few cards ago, besting Mairbek Taisumov at UFC 242. The 35-year-old’s record now stands at 17-2.
