Showtime ground and pound: Charles Jourdain pulls off an Anthony Pettis in UFC Vegas 21 win over Marcelo Rojo
Charles Jourdain pulled off an astonishing jump-off the cage move against Marcelo Rojo at UFC Vegas 21 that was reminiscent of former UFC champion Anthony Pettis' iconic showtime kick.
After two hard-fought rounds in the featherweight bout, Charles Jourdain dropped debutant Marcelo Rojo with a perfectly placed straight left. After escaping a triangle choke attempt from Rojo, Jourdain jumped off the cage and unleashed ground-and-pound on his downed opponent that is one of the best highlight reel moves of the year so far.
Charles Jourdain vs Marcelo Rojo: At a glance
Charles Jourdain (11-3-1 MMA, 2-2-1 UFC) fought Marcelo Rojo (16-8 MMA, 0-1 UFC) on the preliminary card of UFC Vegas 21: Edwards vs Muhammad. The high-paced fight saw both fighters land a combined 180 significant strikes. The fight was a close contest heading into the third round that would have tested the judging skills of the officials. However, Jourdain showed urgency and closed the show at the 4:31 mark of the third round with vicious ground-and-pound after dropping Rojo.
Charles Jourdain was in dire need of a win after going 1-2-1 with the UFC since making his debut with the promotion in May 2019 and the Canadian standout scored it impressively. Marcelo Rojo's debut did not yield the result he would have wanted but the fight was a close contest in the first two rounds that will certainly play as a confidence-building exercise for the Argentinian.
The jumping off the cage move pulled off by Charles Jourdain reminded the MMA community of the famous showtime kick that Anthony Pettis dropped Benson Henderson within their WEC lightweight title fight back in 2010. The kick has become one of the most iconic moments in MMA history.
UFC Vegas 21 event is headlined by a welterweight contender fight between No.3 ranked contender Leon Edwards and No.13 ranked Belal Muhammad. The outcome of the main event bout could determine the next challenger to champion Kamaru Usman's title - especially if it's Leon Edwards.