Raphael Assuncao destroyed Matthew Lopez’s lead leg tonight at UFC Fight Night 120 and then added to his woes with a devastating knockout punch early in the third round.
Round One:
Assuncao lands a right hand to start as Lopez also comes close. Front kick to the body for Assuncao and then a solid body kick in return from Lopez.
Nice body punch for Lopez. Jab for Assuncao. Again to the body for Lopez. He just misses with a left hand. Now he connects with the leg kick.
Assuncao misses with a head kick, but then follows in behind it with a quick flurry of punches to back Lopez up. Right hand for Lopez doesn’t connect cleanly.
Exchange in close with Assuncao ripping off several hooks. Lopez lands to the body. Right for Assuncao and then follows with a sharp left.
Assuncao avoids a head kick attempt from Lopez. Assuncao misses with a spinning kick. Right hand for Assuncao as Lopez counters with a left.
Leg kick for Lopez. He almost has a body kick caught. Assuncao steps off with a right hand. Assuncao just out of range with a head kick.
Lopez in on a takedown and lands it nicely. Assuncao does well to quickly get back to his feet though and soon after he land the straight right. He lands again as te round comes to an end.
Round Two:
Good right hand for Assuncao and then a leg kick. Left hook for assuncao and that also gets Lopez’s attention. Assuncao continuing to land to te inside leg too and Lopez isn’t keen on that.
Lopez trying for a takedown, but it’s not going to hgappen this time around. Assuncao to the inside leg again and Lopez’s leg is a dark shade of red. Assuncao with a punch upstairs too.
Lopez lands a punch, but is struggling to keep Assuncao at bay. Lopez tries for the inside leg kick, but it’s not long before Assuncao comes back harder with one of it’s own and Lopez is struggling to hide the pain resulting from those on his already damaged limb.
Both men exchange in close and appear to land at the same time which knocks them both backwards slightly. Another leg kick slightly staggers Lopez’s footing again.
Round Three:
Assuncao immediately back to butchering that limb. Head kick is blocked though. Lopez switches staance. Assuncao still manages to find that inside leg and buckles it briefly.
Lopez comes in on a takedown, but gets clipped with a left hook on the way and then it’s stuffed. Another leg kick for Assuncao.
Suddenly Assuncao tries for a flying knee, but it just misses. However, he follows up with a big right hand that instantly knocks out Lopez, sending him crashing to the canvas for a spectacular highlight reel finish at 1.50mins of the third round.
Assuncao has been one of the UFC’s most consistent fighters for a long time, but that’s a particularly impressive display and will go a long way to pushing him back towards title contention at 135lbs.
