Zak Cummings became the first fighter to defeat rising middleweight prospect Trevin Giles earlier tonight (Sat., May 18, 2019) at UFC on ESPN+ 10 live on ESPN+ from inside Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York, as the Octagon veteran finished the 26-year-old Giles via third-round submission (guillotine choke).
In what was truly a back-and-forth affair, Cummings had to rely on his chin during many exchanges in order to push through the power of Giles. In the third round, Cummings would need his chin again to absorb a big right hand from Giles to land a spectacular counter overhand left that dropped Giles to the canvas. Cummings pounced on top to lock in a tight guillotine attempt and eventually forced Giles to tap after about 20 seconds of defense.
Check out the final moments of the fight above courtesy of UFC/ESPN.
With this performance, Cummings now pushes his record to 2-0 since making a return to middleweight this past December. The 34-year-old veteran isn’t going to skyrocket up the 185-pound ladder with this submission finish, but it’s proof that Cummings still has a lot left in the tank, especially at his new weight.
If UFC wants to reward Cummings for his fourth career finish by way of submission they may grant him a shot at the Top 15 his next time out.
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