Diego Brandao came to The Ultimate Fighter looking like a standup killer, all fists and fury with little in the way of finesse. Now four fights into this UFC career, that maturity seems to be coming. Putting together his most complete performance since competing for the promotion, Brandao dominated Pablo Garza en route to an arm triangle submission victory.
The UFC on FUEL 9 main card win took just 3:27.
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Instead of his usual early bull rush, Brandao fought a very calculated style against the rangy Garza, dancing in and out of range. After he'd established that, the featherweight switched tracks and got underneath Garza for a slam takedown.
From there, he easily outclassed Garza on the ground, moving from half-guard to side control before sinking in the arm triangle for the win at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm.
Afterward, Brandao said he'd made a point to use his jiu-jitsu.
It was the second straight win for Brandao, who is now 17-8.
Garza, who was coming off a decision win over former No. 1 contender Mark Hominick, is now 12-4.