The first seven matchups of UFC Fight Night 36 went to a decision, on the heels of UFC 169 featuring 10 decisions in 12 bouts.
But Charles Oliveira rode to the rescue Saturday night. The Brazilian came into his featherweight fight against Britain’s Andy Ogle with 16 finishes in 21 career bouts. He added another one to his resume as he finished Ogle in the third round Saturday. The triangle choke tapout came at 2:40 of round three.
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Oliveira came out flying in round one, clearly looking to get the finish. He had Ogle’s back for nearly four minutes of the round, including a prolonged period on his back as the two stood. But Ogle survived the round.
Round two was closer, as Oliveira got a rear naked choke and a neck crank, but Ogle picked things up later in the round and landed a big slam.
Oliveira re-asserted control in round three, as he dropped Ogle and got a rear-naked choke. Ogle got out of that one, but couldn’t escape from the triangle later in the round.
“My goal today was a knockout, but I saw he was getting the better end of it standing up. I practice my jiu-jitsu a lot and I tried to use it to the best of my abilities. He was very slippery and defended many submission attempts very well, but thankfully I was able to get the win,” Oliveira said after the fight.
Oliveira (17-4, 1 NC) got back into the win column after losses to Cub Swanson and Frankie Edgar. Ogle (9-4) has dropped three of his past four.
“I want to fight in Brazil again, but hopefully next time I’ll fight a foreign fighter and have the crowd behind me. It is a very powerful crowd, very loud. It’s just a shame I’m not Brazilian,” Ogle said after the fight.