Former Olympic medalist suffers from North American rival's game and loses at UFC Vegas 99

austen lane defeated Despaigne in the ufc vegas 99 / UFC Reproduction

It seems like Robelis Despaigne will need to review his concepts in the UFC. In a fight that started evenly between two heavyweights (up to 120,2 kg), the Cuban was defeated after falling for the strategy of austen lane in the opening fight of the preliminary card of ufc vegas 99 this Saturday (19), in Las Vegas. The American managed to dominate the fight on the ground and won by unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

It was Lane's fourth fight and the former football player's first win in the organization.

Moreover, Robelis Despaigne, seen by many as promising after debuting with a knockout 18 seconds, suffers his second consecutive defeat in the UFC.

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Balanced start

The fight began with both fighters studying each other from a distance. However, Lane grabbed Despaigne's leg after a poorly connected middle kick and took the fight to the ground. However, the American was unable to take advantage of the gift and the Cuban soon got up after an exchange of elbows. Lane kept the fight locked in, pressing his opponent against the fence. The fight went to the ground again with the American on top. Despaigne was left to hold his opponent until the end of the first round.

Lane Strategy

In the second round, Robelis managed to keep the fight standing for longer, landing good high kicks and keeping his distance, while Lane tried to counterattack and grab his opponent. In the first half of the round, Despaigne landed two jabs and a straight punch, but without much force. But soon after, he landed a well-placed punch that shook the American. In the last minute, Lane managed to take him down and mount him, but was unable to attack Despaigne, who held his opponent until the end of the round.

Lane managed to keep the fight on the ground for most of the third round. Despaigne was left to try to hold on and avoid the American's blows, but he managed to maintain control on the ground until the end. For the judges, Lane's performance was superior, giving the American the victory by unanimous decision.

Melissa Martinez beats Alice Ardelean

Melissa Martinez defeated Alice Ardelean No. ufc vegas 99 / UFC Reproduction

For the straw weight category (up to 52,1 kg), Melissa Martinez overcame Alice Ardelean by unanimous decision of the judges (30-27).

In the first round, the fighters kept the fight standing, trying to land blows. The Mexican was more successful with some jabs and crosses. In the second round, Alice was unable to get close, giving Martinez more chances, who managed to land two high kicks that hurt the Romanian quite a bit, cutting her eyebrow.

In the last round, Alice continued to advance, but was quickly repelled by the Mexican's quick left crosses. In the second half, Martinez landed a kick to the Romanian's stomach, but the referee was confused and stopped the fight, thinking it was a low blow. After the replay, it was seen that the blow was legal and the fight continued without any problems. The judges gave the victory to Martinez by unanimous decision.

Check out all the results from UFC Vegas 99