LAS VEGAS, NV – AUGUST 9: (L-R) Opponents Chris Gutierrez and Quang Le of Vietnam face off during the UFC weigh-ins at UFC APEX on August 9, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Al Powers/Zuffa LLC)
LFA star and unbeaten 8-0 bantamweight Quang Le made his Octagon debut on Saturday, facing Chris Gutierrez on the main card of UFC Las Vegas 95.
The Vietnamese native replaced Javaid Basarat in the bout, which was originally scheduled for UFC Abu Dhabi.
Round 1 began with Gutierrez going for lead leg kicks. Gutierrez used a lot of feints to confuse the newcomer, but he eventually paid the price when Le caught a light kick and got a takedown. Gutierrez quickly got to his feet and landed a hard leg kick. Le tried to move forward, but Gutierrez was able to fend it off with light footwork. The main focus of round 1 was the hard leg kicks from Chris Gutierrez. They kept Le on the outside and let him charge in with no preparation. The kicks started piling up and Le’s legs were visibly red by the end of the round.
In the second round, Gutierrez landed a hard leg kick to start the round. Le was unable to get close enough to strike and tried to go for a knockdown. As Gutierrez stood, he held his back and Le sneakily jumped on his back. As Gutierrez fell to the mat, Le went for a body triangle. Gutierrez was able to get out of the position, but Le kept his guard up and finished the round.
In the final round, the scorecards were even, so anyone could have won. Le was feeling more confident in the final round, and he applied more pressure in the early part of the third round. Despite the pressure, he still wasn’t able to land punches well. He went for a single leg, but Gutierrez escaped it. Gutierrez stuck to his leg kicks, lifting Le’s legs because they had impact. When Le stopped moving, Gutierrez started to attack more. Le tried another takedown and was successful with a few seconds left, but it didn’t matter.
Official result: Chris Gutierrez defeats Quang Le via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
