EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ — Things didn’t begin so well for Canada’s Roland Delorme at UFC on FOX 3, but the late part of the first round was all his.
Delorme overcame a rocky start which saw him eat a huge knee. Soon after, he proved his chin and his mettle by firing back and scoring a rear naked choke submission with just one tick left on the first-round clock.
“I’ve seen his last fights that when he gets in trouble, he sticks his neck out,” Delorme said. “He left it out. He hits hard. I’m proof. I was rocked a little bit but it doesn’t matter.”
It was all Denis early, scoring with strikes while pushing forward and dictating the pace. A big knee wobbled Delorme, and Denis looked for a finish with ground strikes, but Delorme withstood the barrage.
Back to their feet, Delorme stormed back with precise strikes, hurting Denis. The fight returned to the ground, and after a scramble, Delorme was on his back. With little time to waste, he went for the choke, and got the tap just before the horn sounded.
“I was rocked but whatever,” he said. “It comes with the territory. I always get rocked and come back.”
Delorme, who took the fight on short notice, improved to 8-1 with his second straight octagon win. Denis dropped to 11-3.