CJ Vergara put himself in consideration for Comeback of the Year honors on Saturday with an insane rally against Daniel Lacerda at UFC on ESPN 43.
After taking a hellacious beating in front of his hometown crowd at AT&T Center in San Antonio to start the flyweight bout, Vergara (11-4-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC) somehow managed to turn the tides on Lacerda (11-5 MMA, 0-4 UFC) and finish the fight by TKO late in the second round.
Lacerda came out of the gate on fire, hurting Vergara multiple times and nearly forcing referee Jason Herzog to stop it more than once. He somehow lasted the round, though, and it was clear Lacerda was fatigued going into the second frame.
Vergara took advantage, putting pressure on his opponent and securing top position. Vergara attacked with ground-and-pound and submission attempts until he wore Lacerda down and forced him to curl up so Herzog could step in to wave it off at the 4:04 mark of Round 2.
Check out the replay of the incredible fight below (via Twitter):
Lacerda had Vergara running laps 🏃♂️ #UFCSanAntonio pic.twitter.com/wx2AasF4L4
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 25, 2023
NEVER COUNT OUT THEM TEXAS BOYS!!!!!!!! 🤯@CJVergara1991 flips the script to get the finish! #UFCSanAntonio pic.twitter.com/UOZ8qLMxOW
— UFC (@ufc) March 25, 2023
After the fight, an ecstatic Vergara celebrated in front of a raucous local crowd, sending inspiring words during his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping.
“I love this city so much, this city cut out the cloth for me to come and do what I do,” Vergara said. “I know I had a rough start in the UFC, but I showed the way. …. You can make your way to the top. Every single one of you.”
Never count @CJVergara1991 out 😤 #UFCSanAntonio pic.twitter.com/2DMOxrJ5ma
— UFC (@ufc) March 25, 2023
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.
