Rafa Garcia spoiled Jesse Ronson’s return to competition Saturday with a slick submission win at UFC on ESPN 34.
It was one-way traffic for Garcia (14-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) in the lightweight bout, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. He established grappling superiority in the first round over Ronson (21-11 MMA, 0-4 UFC), but hurt his own chances by having a point deducted due to an illegal knee on a getup.
The point deduction appeared to only boost Garcia’s aggression for a finish, though. In Round 2, he got Ronson back on the mat, secured a rear-naked choke and forced the tapout.