'Korean fighter' Steel achieves emotional first UFC victory... Dominates RTU champion Hillhook, "I was determined to win no matter what"

*This content was translated by AI.

Korean-American fighter Cody Steel (31, USA) showcased overwhelming skill against the ROAD TO UFC champion, securing an emotional first victory.

On the 2nd (Korean time), Steel defeated Dom Mar van (26, Australia), a former winner of the ROAD TO UFC Season 4 Lightweight Tournament, with a precise heel hook in just 3 minutes and 56 seconds of the first round at the 'UFC Fight Night: Dela Madaena vs. Fracis' undercard main event held at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

Steel dominated the match by leveraging his specialty, grappling. In the middle of the first round, Steel dragged his opponent to the ground and forced Mar van to submit with a high-difficulty technique: a 50-50 reverse grip followed by a heel hook.

This was a turnaround. Last year, in his UFC debut, Steel suffered a disappointing loss in a brawl against RTU Season 2 champion Longju, despite earning a bonus. In his second fight, he fully displayed his jiu-jitsu prowess, his true profession, and recorded his first UFC victory.

According to UFC, in a post-fight interview, Steel said, "While I enjoy putting on an exciting fight through brawling, winning was the most important thing today." He added, "With a precise technique like the 50-50 reverse grip, I am confident I can submit anyone in the UFC Lightweight division."

In the main event, Brazil's Carlos Fracis (32) decisively defeated former champion Jack Dela Madaena (29, Australia) via TKO in the third round, quickly emerging as a top contender for the title. Ranked fifth in the welterweight division, Fracis overwhelmed Madaena in striking, ending the match with a barrage of leg kicks and elbow punches.

With this victory, Fracis proved his terrifying destructive power, recording 19 of his 24 career wins by TKO. Notably, by knocking out former champions Dela Madaena in succession after Leon Edwards, he has risen as a rising star in the welterweight division. In the post-fight interview, Fracis declared, "I will become the first UFC welterweight champion from Brazil," and issued a challenge, stating, "I want to face the winner of the title fight between Islam Makhachev and Ian Machado Garry."

Meanwhile, Madaena, who returned to the octagon in front of his home fans, fell into a two-fight losing streak after losing the title to Makhachev and then collapsing at home against Fracis.

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*This content was translated by AI.