Glaico Franca knows the oldest adage in the MMA cliche book: Don’t let the fight go to the judges.
With his Ultimate Fighter Brazil 4 lightweight final going down to the wire Saturday night in Rio de Janeiro, and with the judges likely to score the fight either way, Franca took matters into his own hands and got the job done.
Franca (13-3) finished Nova Unaio’s Fernando Bruno (15-3) with a rear-naked choke at 4:36 of the final round of their UFC 190 bout to claim the tournament.
“I’m very happy to make it to the show,” Franca said. “For me it is amazing to be the Ultimate Fighter champion, because I spent so much time watching UFC, and I said one day I will be champion.”
Franca won all four of his tournament bouts via rear-naked choke.