Kicking off the UFC Vegas 18 main card is a light heavyweight encounter between Mike Rodriguez and Danilo Marques.
Round 1: Rodriguez lands some small kicks before Marques goes for the takedown. He eventually gets Rodriguez down and is in his guard. Rodriguez gets to his feet but is clinched up against the fence by Marques. Marques gets another single and has Rodriguez on the ground again though he did have to work quite a bit for it. Marques lands an elbow as he continues to flatten out Rodriguez. Rodriguez gets to his feet but can’t get rid of Marques who takes him down with a body lock. Rodriguez gets to his feet and finally breaks free with 20 seconds left in the first. Rodriguez lands two body shots as the round comes to an end.
Round 2: Rodriguez lands some more teep kicks to the leg. Marques responds with a body kick. Rodriguez lands a leg kick just as Marques changes levels and the fight remains on the feet. Marques misses an overhand right and goes for another takedown soon after and lands it. Marques transitions to full mount and starts raining down fists. Rodriguez is still fine but Marques is still in control even as the former slowly gets to his feet. Marques has his back and the body triangle as he sinks in the rear naked choke and puts Rodriguez to sleep!
Official result: Danilo Marques defeats Mike Rodriguez via submission (R2, 4:52).
