Chris Gutierrez scores historic leg-kick TKO at UFC Vegas.
Chris Gutierrez opened UFC Vegas in historic fashion, as he scored a rare TKO via leg kick against Vince Morales. Gutierrez’s leg-kick TKO at UFC Vegas was just the 11th in UFC history, per the UFC. He’s the 10th fighter to accomplish this feat, as Edson Barboza has done this twice.
Chris Gutierrez (@CGutierrezMMA) earns the 11th finish in UFC history stemming from leg kicks. He is the 10th fighter in UFC history to earn such a finish (Edson Barboza has done so twice). #UFCVegas pic.twitter.com/FblYA8OOmi
— UFC News (@UFCNews) May 30, 2020
Chris Gutierrez scores 11th leg-kick TKO in UFC history at UFC Vegas
Gutierrez employed the leg kick-focused strategy early on in the bout, using it to force Morales to switch stances and sometimes using the leg kicks in combination with his striking.
https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1266860857583177728
Per Richard Mann, Gutierrez landed 36 significant strikes via leg kick in the fight, compared to just eight significant strikes in total from Morales.
Eventually, Morales was forced to drop to the ground late in the second round, thanks to the pressure from the leg kicks, and the referee put a halt to the contest.
https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1266861810239537152
The damage could be seen completely following the bout, with Morales’ legs looking marked, banged up and swollen.
https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1266863357409157120
Gutierrez followed up his impressive performance after the bout by calling out Andre Ewell and Miles Johns.
Gutierrez has now won three straight and is 3-1 inside the Octagon, while Morales has now lost back-to-back bouts and three of four in the UFC.