Only when [autotag]Toshiomi Kazama[/autotag] appeared to be in greater danger of losing against [autotag]Charalampos Grigoriou[/autotag] node UFC on ESPN 61he turned things around impressively to put himself in the winner’s circle.
After Grigoriou delivered a big knockdown in the second round of their bantamweight fight at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, he attacked the fallen Kazama (11-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) and landed punches and elbows to finish.
Referee Jason Herzog was watching closely, but then Kazama controlled his opponent’s stance, slid his legs over his shoulders and locked in a triangle that forced Grigoriou (8-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC) to submit without much of a fight at the mark. 1:55 of the second round.
Check out the replay of the finish below (via X):
After the stoppage, and elevated but beaten, Kazama admitted that although things looked bad for him, he felt that Grigoriou would slip up and give him the chance to secure his first UFC win.
“When I was down, I knew an opportunity would come,” Kazama said through an interpreter during his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “I waited for this chance and used my Jiu-Jitsu skills to finish the fight.”
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Updated UFC on ESPN 61 results include:
For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub to UFC on ESPN 61.
This article was originally published on MMA Junkie: UFC on ESPN 61 video: Toshiomi Kazama stages wild comeback for triangle submission
