Jose Montanha wasted no time making his presence felt, forcing Louie Sutherland to tap in his UFC debut.
The Brazilian heavyweight entered UFC Vegas 120 riding a three-fight winning streak after having two previous bouts fall through. Sutherland, meanwhile, was coming off his first UFC victory, a knockout of Tai Tuivasa, but Montanha quickly showed why he was one of the division’s intriguing newcomers.
The pair engaged early before Montanha found his opening in the clinch. He secured a knee-tap takedown and landed in side control, forcing Sutherland to scramble back toward his feet. Jose Montanha immediately followed him, taking the back and looking for a finish.
Sutherland’s escape attempt only put him deeper into trouble. Montanha locked onto his opponent’s neck and applied a crushing face crank, forcing the tap at 1:50 of Round 1. The official result was initially announced as a rear-naked choke, but the finish was effectively a face crank, with replay showing Montanha adjusting his grip as “Vanilla Gorilla” tapped.
The victory moved Jose Montanha to 7-1 professionally and extended his winning streak to four. The 29-year-old has now finished every one of his professional victories, making a statement in his first UFC appearance.
Sutherland fell to 11-6 overall and 1-3 inside the UFC, suffering another setback after briefly getting his career back on track against Tuivasa.