Charles Oliveira submits Nik Lentz in frantic fight
Charles Oliveira went to front chokes early and often in his UFC Fight Night co-main event grudge rematch against Nik Lentz, and one finally paid off in the final round. The Brazilian sunk closure in to his years-long feud with Lentz with a guillotine choke from the mount at 1:10 of the third round.
The two first met in 2011, with the fight ending in a no contest after an illegal low blow. After a lot of waiting and trash talk, the two rivals finally met again, Saturday night in Brazil, and they put on the fight of the night, up to that point.
Though he earned a decisive win, Oliveira faced a lot of adversity from Lentz, throughout the fight. From the start, the American found the chin of Oliveira with punches, as the Brazilian left his head on the center line, primed for contact.
However, Oliveira landed a nasty knee to the body that hurt and dropped Lentz. The submission wizard took the side mount, and then mount, with time running out in the first round, but Lentz managed to survive choke attempts and strikes to make it to the second period.
In the second round, both men got right back to it, violently. Lentz landed a belly-to-back suplex that planted Oliveira right on his face. The 25-year-old still managed to get back into it, look for chokes and then trading heel hook attempts from the 50/50 guard with Lentz.
The first stanza ended with the hometown kid on top, but the visiting fighter ended the second in control, laying down a beating with punches.
The two warriors wasted no time in the final round. Oliveira landed with more knees and elbows and Lentz pressed in and scored a takedown.
However, that's exactly where Do Bronx managed to end the fight. Oliveira went to the front headlock choke well one last time, and locked up a tight guillotine choke.
Lentz defended and held on, but Oliveira used the hold to sweep him. From the mount, with the choke still locked in tightly, Oliveira forced Lentz to submit.
Oliveira improved his impressive record to 20-4. Lentz's loss brought his to 25-7.
"Five years ago, they threw me into this ring with a bunch of lions," Oliveira said in his post-fight interview, of his UFC debut.
"Now, I want to be one of those guys...you have to work very hard to beat me."
Indeed. With four straight wins in the talent-rich featherweight division, Charles Oliveira has proven that he most certainly is a lion to be feared.
