After showing scary knockout power to earn a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series, Mario Pinto displayed heavy hands again Saturday at UFC Fight Night 253.
Pinto (10-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) won his promotional debut by second-round knockout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas when he floored Austen Lane with a vicious right hook that instantly put the lights out.
It was a brutal finish, and you can watch the replay below (via X):
MARIO PINTO ENDS IT WITH THE 1-2
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Lane (13-6 MMA, 1-3 UFC) spent some time down on the canvas before eventually returning to the stool and leaving the octagon under his own power. Pinto, meanwhile, celebrated a triumphant debut to keep his undefeated record intact.
“I definitely had the (UFC) jitters,” Pinto said in his post-fight interview with Jon Anik. “When it’s your first time and you’re scared and I was a bit nervous. But I got the W. He’s a big, 6-foot-6 former NFL player.”
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 253 results include:
- Mario Pinto def. Austen Lane via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 0:39
- Chepe Mariscal def. Ricardo Ramos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Danny Silva def. Lucas Almeida via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- JJ Aldrich def. Andrea Lee via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Ramazan Temirov def. Charles Johnson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 253.
