Just when it looked like his fight would end in decision, Freddy Vidal pulled off an improbable submission.
With 12 seconds left on the clock at Dana White’s Contender Series 81, Vidal (4-0) put previously unbeaten Felipe Franco (8-1) to sleep with a rear-naked choke.
Vidal, a physical education teacher, took the fight on one week’s notice during the first week of school. He said he weighed 240 pounds at the time of the call, and only cut to 210 – missing weight by four pounds.
In the cage, both men looked gassed from the start of Round 2. While they both had their moments, Vidal found the difference on the ground. He hit a switch on Franco in both Round 1 and 3, including the fight-ending reversal.
