UFC Fight Night 101 results: Tyson Pedro survives knockdown to submit Khalil Rountree in first round

MELBOURNE, Australia – Tyson Pedro’s UFC debut was a trial by fire, but he ultimately proved he is octagon material.

After getting dropped by Khalil Rountree (4-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC), Pedro (5-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) seized a takedown and turned the tables to win via first-round submission.

The light heavyweight bout was part of the main card of today’s UFC Fight Night 101 event at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It aired on FS1 following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

The fight was over at the 4:07 mark of the opening frame after Rountree tapped to a rear-naked choke, the culmination of Pedro’s fast work on the mat.

Of course, Pedro needed to work fast after taking a straight left that sent him to canvas. With his face rapidly swelling, he held on for dear life as he tried to clear the cobwebs.

Rountree managed to get up, only to be tripped back to the mat after a short struggle. From there, Pedro made the most of the position, passing to mount and securing back control. Flattening Rountree out, he sunk in the rear-naked choke and secured a tap.

It was an impressive debut for Pedro, who extends his unbeaten streak to five fights. Rountree, a veteran of “The Ultimate Fighter 23,” has now dropped two straight in the UFC.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 101 results include:

• Tyson Pedro def. Khalil Rountree via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:07
• Danielle Taylor def. Seo Hee Ham via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 30-27)
• Daniel Kelly def. Chris Camozzi via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
• Damien Brown def. Jon Tuck via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Jonathan Meunier def. Richard Walsh via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
• Ben Nguyen def. Geane Herrera via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-27)
• Jason Knight def. Dan Hooker via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-26)
• Marlon Vera def. Ning Guangyou via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Jenel Lausa def. Yao Zhikui via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 101, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan contributed to this report on site in Melbourne.)