AUSTIN, Texas – Rodolfo Bellato delivered a Comeback of the Year contender on Saturday when he rallied to finish off Ihor Potieria at UFC on ESPN 52.
After a high-paced first round in the light heavyweight division at Moody Center, Potieria (19-5 MMA, 1-3 UFC) landed major damage in the early stages of the second round, dropping Bellato (12-2 MAM, 1-0 UFC) and hitting him with huge shots to put the fight on the cusp of being stopped.
Bellato refused to quit, however, and managed to survive enough to get back to his feet. Potieria was nothing short of exhausted, and Bellato started to pour on the strikes. He then landed a takedown, moved to mount and unloaded until referee Jacob Montalvo stopped it at the 4:17 mark of Round 2.
Check out the replay of the wild finishing sequence below (via X):
HOW DID HE SURVIVE THIS? 😲 #UFCAUSTIN pic.twitter.com/ENCugUnXYa
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 2, 2023
BELLATO WAS THROWING HANDS TILL THE FINISH 👊 #UFCAUSTIN pic.twitter.com/KRTOa0fJqx
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 2, 2023
After going through two seasons of Dana White’s Contender Series to secure his UFC contract, Bellato, 27, delivered in his debut. He said his comeback was based purely off instinct, which made the result all the more impressive.
“I don’t remember nothing, you know?” Bellato said in his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier. “I was knocked out over here. But I trained a lot and in my mind I never stopped. I’m so happy for my debut. I believe so much in my jiu-jitsu. When I went to the ground I feel so good. I don’t remember, but that was so good.”
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 52 results include:
- Rodolfo Bellato def. Ihor Potieria via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:17
- Jared Gooden def. Wellington Turman via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:11
- Veronica Hardy def. Jamey-Lyn Horth via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 52.
