Team Lakay's Mark Eddiva scores first UFC victory
The Philippines scored its first victory in the UFC as Team Lakay’s Mark Eddiva emerged victorious against Jumabieke Tuerxun at The Ultimate Fighter China Finale in Macau.
Eddiva was a heavy underdog in the betting lines against the Chinese fighter. The Filipino came into the fight holding a 5-0 win-loss card while Tuerxun had an impressive 14-0 record.
However, after the start of the match, Eddiva showed that the odds are just numbers. He invested on lead leg kicks early on to hamper the Chinese fighter’s movement.
Tuerxun had his best moment of the night in the second round as he was able to score a takedown but Eddiva quickly made it back to his feet.
The Filipino controlled the third round as he easily managed Tuerxun’s takedown attempts. The Chinese fighter found it hard to match the Filipino’s striking as he was breathing heavily early in the third.
Eddiva averted disaster late in the third round as he squeezed past a triangle attempt from Tuerxun. He defeated Tuerxun via unanimous decision with all three judges submitting shutout scores of 30-27.
Prior to the fight, Eddiva knew that his striking would be key in scoring an upset.
"I think I'm better at striking. Maybe even wrestling as well," he told Anton Tabuena in an interview. "He also has a San Shou base, but he didn't continuously compete and go all the way on an international level, and I have fought at the high-end international competitions in San Shou."
The last time Eddiva fought was way back in January of 2011where he defeated Alex Len via rear naked choke. But even with a three-year layoff, Eddiva showed he was not all att rusty by dominating Tuerxun in all three rounds.
Eddiva raised his record to 6-0 while blemishing Tuerxu's formerly immaculate record.
