Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Maurice Greene scored a really interesting submission finish earlier tonight (Sat., June 27, 2020) at UFC on ESPN 12 live on ESPN/ESPN+ from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, as the heavyweight stopped veteran Gian Villante in the third round with a modified arm-triangle choke.
Smith’s size and power ruled the way in the early going as Villante struggled to keep up with the output. Villante did regain some momentum in the second round but Smith still countered back. The third round was Villante’s to win after he knocked Greene down and started to land heavy ground-and-pound. Greene stayed alive and saved his energy for a unique submission finish off his back. Greene had the head and arm from the bottom and squeezed Villante’s head before getting the eventual tap. Dominick Cruz and Michael Bisping, who were cageside, joked about not knowing what to call the finish.
Check out the stoppage above courtesy of UFC/ESPN.
With this performance, Greene gets back into the win column after dropping back-to-back defeats to veterans Aleksei Oleinik and Sergei Pavlovich. It was quite impressive and a stoppage that could land Greene a shot at the top 15 his next time out.
For complete UFC on ESPN 12 results and coverage click here.