Rodolfo Vieira managed to bounce back from his first professional MMA loss, at UFC Vegas 31 – by winning via Rear Naked Choke against Dustin Stoltzfus.
During the post-fight press conference, Vieira was emotional. He broke down in tears and described what the history meant to him:
“I’m definitely emotional for the victory. I thought about my son. He’s very young – he’s one year old. Last time I lost, this time I promised myself I would give the victory to him. This is what was on my mind the whole time. Also my grandma, she passed away a year ago and I’m sure that wherever she is right now, that she’s happy for my victory, my performance. I dedicate my victory to my son and my grandma.
One of the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitors in the history of the sport also described how he didn’t plan to go to the ground immediately, but stay on his feet:
It was exactly what I planned with my coach. First round, keep the fight on the feet. Eventually take the moment to bring the fight to the ground, but I was feeling my hands connecting. The second round, I tried to take him down.
In the third round, I was still doing good on the feet and I brought the fight to the ground at the right moment and submitted him. It was exactly what I planned with my coach. My strategy worked very well.
