LAS VEGAS – Thiago Moises beat Mitch Ramirez with a third-round TKO Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 239 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Moises, who put Ramirez away courtesy of leg kicks – a UFC rarity.
Thiago Moises def. Mitch Ramirez
Result: Thiago Moises def. Mitch Ramirez via TKO (leg kicks) – Round 3, 0:15
Updated records: Moises (18-7 MMA, 7-5 UFC), Ramirez (8-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Key stats: Moises had more than six minutes of total control time on the way to the finish.
Moises on the fight's key moment
“That’s exactly how I saw the fight going. I knew that I had to outsmart him, be quicker, be smart, because I’m better than him everywhere. Striking, grappling – he’s just a very strong guy and he likes to brawl. So the one thing that I couldn’t do was brawl with him. I kept the game plan and everything went according to how we planned.”
Moises on his leg kicks
“I knew if he kept taking those kicks, it was going to add up and he couldn’t take much longer. Every kick I was lending, I was, ‘OK, this was a hard one.’ ‘OK, this was a hard one.’ I could feel what’s hard. I could feel that he was getting hurt. So I just kept kicking and every time he went back to the corner, I was looking at his calf. I could see like the bruise and the swollen on his calf. OK, that could be a way to win this fight.”
Moises on what he wants next
“I think (Dan Hooker) would be a great fight. He trains with Brad Riddell. I was supposed to fight Brad Riddell. Brad pulled out, so I think it would be good if he steps. That would be amazing. I don’t know why he’s ranked so high because he doesn’t fight often.
“He lost a couple of fights and he picks his fights. I fight anybody. Anybody they put in front of me, I fight. I never say no to anybody. He chooses too much, too many fights. I think it would be a good fight. I think it would be a good matchup and could be a main event for a UFC Fight Night.”
To hear more from Moises, 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 239.
