In what could have been a must-win bout for the sake of his UFC run, Robert Valentin delivered with the kind of performance needed, scoring a first-round submission of Julien Leblanc during the UFC Winnipeg prelims.
Valentin worked Leblanc over with kicks, landing to the body and head. An overhand right dropped Leblanc, and Valentin dominated on the ground.
Valentin got to the back and worked a face crank, which then evolved into a rear-naked choke for a submission win.
Robert Valentin Submits Julien Leblanc At UFC Winnipeg
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Valentin was a popular figure on season 32 of The Ultimate Fighter, defeating Giannis Bachar and Paddy McCory before losing the middleweight final to Ryan Loder. Last year, he suffered a decision loss to Torrez Finney and was finished by Ateba Gautier.
Leblanc was making his UFC debut tonight. He entered tonight on a five-fight win streak, most recently submitting Ryan Rohovich in November.
