Rodolfo Bellato and Christian Edwards, UFC Vegas 121 weigh-in Credit: Patrick Danna/Cageside Press
Christian Edwards wanted violence at UFC Vegas 121, and after having to survive a little of it himself, he made sure Rodolfo Bellato got the worst of it.
Edwards survived being dropped, fought off Bellato’s submission attempts and weathered some dangerous moments through the first two rounds. Then the third round came, Edwards found the opening he needed and absolutely detonated on Bellato, dropping him with a massive shot before finishing the job with ground-and-pound Saturday night at UFC Vegas 121.
It wasn’t easy, it wasn’t clean, but Edwards asked for a violent fight and then went out and delivered the violent ending.
Round 1 – Bellato came out faking the takedown, but instead of throwing anything, he closed the distance and clinched Edwards against the fence. Edwards immediately dug for underhooks, trying to create enough space to get off the cage.
Edwards finally circled free and landed a couple shots, but he couldn’t keep Bellato off him for long and soon found himself right back against the fence. Bellato was dead set on getting this fight to the ground, but early in the round, Edwards wasn’t giving it to him.
Edwards found his underhooks again and landed some big knees that forced Bellato to back off. That gave Edwards room to work, and he started finding the jab along with a clean right hand.
Push kicks from Edwards forced Bellato backward, but the Brazilian came stomping right back and landed a couple big shots while baiting a takedown attempt from Edwards. Edwards eventually turned the tables and put Bellato against the fence, looking to slow down the offense and find his own shots in close.
The two traded strikes in the clinch before Edwards released him and let loose with a flurry.
Bellato landed a devastating shot that dropped Edwards, but Edwards somehow survived the initial attack. Bellato jumped on top and immediately went hunting for the arm triangle. Edwards defended it, forcing Bellato to posture up and look for damage instead.
With just over 15 seconds left, Bellato took the back and attacked with a short choke. Edwards defended it well and managed to survive a wild ending to see the next round.
Round 2 – The two clinched against the fence with Bellato taking the outside position, digging for underhooks and looking for knees to the body. They eventually broke apart, and Edwards immediately went back to work with his kicks.
Edwards started finding success with the jab and right hand before grabbing the Thai clinch and landing a knee to the body. Bellato responded by dropping for a single-leg attempt against the fence, but Edwards stayed upright and continued digging knees into the body from the clinch.
They separated and got back to striking at range, where Edwards mixed things up with front kicks, teeps and the jab. Edwards eventually shot for a takedown of his own, but it was slow, came without much of a setup, and Bellato easily stuffed it before putting Edwards against the fence.
Bellato then landed a big left hook during an exchange that had Edwards stumbling backward like his bell had been rung. Bellato recognized it immediately and went after him, but Edwards was still firing back, forcing the Brazilian to stay cautious instead of recklessly chasing the finish.
With 10 seconds left, Bellato put Edwards back against the fence, and that’s where the round came to an end.
Round 3 – Edwards came out aggressive, throwing with reckless abandon and landing on Bellato early. He forced Bellato back to the fence and into the clinch, but Bellato found his underhooks and reversed the position, putting Edwards against the cage as the two started the fence dance.
Then Edwards detonated.
A nuclear shot from Edwards dropped Bellato, and after a few follow-up shots on the ground, this one was over.
Christian Edwards called for a violent fight, and he delivered exactly that, scoring a brutal finish over Bellato on Saturday night.
Official Result: Christian Edwards def. Rodolfo Bellato via R3 TKO, 1:47