February 12, 2022 6:54 pm ET
HOUSTON – Blood Diamond may eventually prove to be MMA’s next big thing, but the longtime training partner of Israel Adesanya had his UFC debut spoiled by a gritty Jeremiah Wells.
After a bit of a shaky start, Wells took the fight to the floor and dominated the action until he was able to take the back and choke Diamond unconscious in the first round.
The UFC 271 welterweight clash streamed live on ESPN+ prior to the night’s pay-per-view main card at Toyota Center.
At the opening bell, Wells sprinted to his left, running along the cageline, where he appeared to trip and stumble a bit. The hesitation allowed Diamond to rush forward with punches, but Wells wasted little time in closing the distance and clinching, taking the outside position.
With the crowd chanting, “Let’s go Diamond,” Wells remained patient in the clinch, battling for position and taking the fight to the floor. One there, he moved quickly to the back, alternating between short punches and elbows while also hunting for the choke. Diamond showed impressive defense while working in a bad spot, battling the hands and keeping himself safe, but he was always in a troubling position. Wells was relentless with his attacks, eventually getting the right arm under the neck and squeezing.
Despite Wells not getting his hooks in place, Diamond was eventually choked unconscious, and referee Jacob Montalvo called off the fight at the 4:38 mark of the first round.
Jeremiah Wells gets the R1 tap to end it!!! 😤
[ #UFC271 | Early Prelims are LIVE on @UFCFightPass & E+ ] pic.twitter.com/5UUfkFceOx— UFC (@ufc) February 12, 2022
“I seen his eyes go back,” Wells said after the win. “The choke, it was was in. I couldn’t get the hook in because his elbow was to his knee.”
With the win, Well keeps his UFC record perfect, while Diamond (3-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) suffered his first professional MMA loss.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 271 results include:
- Jeremiah Wells def. Blood Diamond via technical submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:38
- Maxim Grishin def. William Knight via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
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