Emil Meek grounds Jordan Mein for impressive win in UFC debut
Emil Meek had a strange introduction to the UFC this week in Toronto, but he still got the job done with a victory over Jordan Mein on Saturday night.
Meek's week started with the UFC telling the Norway native nicknamed "Valhalla" that he wasn't allowed to bring a battle axe to his media day. Then, the Ontario Athletic Commission forced him to trim his signature beard before stepping into the Octagon.
Despite those odd hiccups, Meek made quite the debut while picking up a victory over a real veteran like Mein at UFC 206.
Mein didn't look like he missed a step after retiring nearly two years ago when he came firing out of the gate and put Meek on the mat with a couple of quick takedowns in the opening round.
Unfortunately, Mein couldn't take advantage of the position and he allowed Meek to come firing back with some furious flurries that started to do damage as the round wore on.
Mein refused to back down and he quickly fired back before landing a body lock takedown that ended with Meek grabbing his chest and visibly wincing in pain. The fighters eventually worked back to the feet and whatever hurt Meek didn't seem to bother him because he went head hunting for Mein immediately after standing back up again.
As the second round got underway, Meek reversed course and went for a takedown of his own where he quickly planted Mein on the mat while maintaining control on the ground for several minutes.
It was a very passive performance from Mein in the second as he essentially allowed Meek to stay in control throughout while offering very little resistance to get back to his feet.
Despite his corner imploring him not to get stuck on the bottom again that's exactly where Mein ended up in the third as Meek took him to the mat and kept up constant pressure while peppering with punches to the body and head throughout.
As time ticked away, Meek stayed busy with his output while Mein struggled to do much of anything from the bottom until the fight came to an end.
The judges all scored the fight the same — 29-28 for Meek, who gets his first win in the UFC and moves to 9-2 overall in his career.
"My jaw is (expletive), my rib is cracked but I'm freaking awesome," Meek said enthusiastically after his win.
Meek is a fun addition to an already tough welterweight division as he picks up a victory while kicking off the main card at UFC 206 in Toronto.
