LAS VEGAS – Marco Tulio beat Ihor Potieria with a first-round TKO Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 249 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Tulio, whose UFC debut included 20 percent of Potieria’s purse after Potieria missed weight.
Marco Tulio def. Ihor Potieria
Result: Marco Tulio def. Ihor Potieria via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:04
Updated records: Tulio (14-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), Potieria (20-8 MMA, 2-6 UFC) (KO1)
Key stats: Tulio never let Potieria get started and outstruck him 34-6 en route to the finish – which came moments after a restart for a Tulio low blow.
Tulio on the fight’s key moment
“Fights go many different ways. Many things develop. You’ve got to be really on and really alert and aware. The opportunity came up. I took advantage of the opportunity. We knew what he was bringing to the table, knew how he moved in. I know how he approached and how he takes punches and strikes whenever you come in. It’s human chess, and I basically was able to put the pieces together and – checkmate, I guess.”
Tulio on Potieria’s weight miss
“I prepared a lot for this. I was ready for anything. Actually, it made me happier because I took a bite out of that purse. So some people’s tears, other people’s smiles. I don’t know what goes into someone (head when they miss weight). Maybe it played a factor into that. I don’t know how his head was, but I know where my head space was and I came in for a war in the preparation for this fight.”
Tulio on what he wants next
“I want to go back home and hug my parents because I was in the gym up until like 11:35 on New Year’s Eve. This took a lot. I do train far from them, so I want to go back home and just give them a hug and as soon as possible, go back into the cage and start again. Of course, fighting at home, fighting in front of family, it’s always amazing to fight in front of everyone in Brazil. But I’m going to leave that to the hands of my manager. He’ll tell us what to do.”
To hear more from Tulio, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 249.
UFC Fight Night 249: Best photos from Las Vegas
UFC Fight Night 249: Official scorecards from Las Vegas
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Marco Tulio glad Ihor Potieria missed weight in ‘human chess’ match at UFC Fight Night 249
