One of the more exciting finishes of UFC 231 this past weekend was in a welterweight contest between Alex Oliveira and Gunnar Nelson. In the fight, Oliveira seemingly got the better of Nelson in the first round. However, the second round was a much different story. Nelson was able to get full mount on the canvas and was completely dominant from there on out.
He delivered some razor sharp elbows that split Oliveira’s forehead open terribly. Nelson then sunk in a rear-naked choke which the Brazilian quickly tapped out to. As it turns out, Oliveira actually wasn’t tapping out to the choke. He revealed to MMA Fighting he actually tapped out to the elbows, which forced him to get 38 stitches:
”The rear-naked choke was in, but I was alive, I was fine. The problem was all that blood,” Oliveira said. “When I put my hand on my forehead I felt everything was f***ing open, I couldn’t see anything. Even if I made out of that round, the referee wouldn’t let me continue.
”This loss was a win for me. We also learn when we lose, right? I keep my head held high. Let’s prepare for the next one. I can’t train now, but I can’t stand still. I need to do something. Losses are part of the game, we understand that. That elbow changed everything. It was his day, not mine, and I accept it. Let’s work for the next one.”
What do you make of Oliveira’s comments about his UFC 231 loss?
