UFC Fight Night 98 results: Martin Bravo stops Claudio Puelles to win 'TUF 3: Latin America' final

MEXICO CITY – Martin Bravo used a pair of liver shots to double Claudio Puelles over, then a few extra strikes on the mat to finish him.

With that, Bravo (11-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) overcame Puelles (7-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) to become the lightweight winner of Season 3 of “The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America,” maintaining his perfect professional record in the process.

The “TUF 3: Latin America” lightweight finale was part of the main card of today’s UFC Fight Night 98 event at Mexico City Arena in Mexico City. It aired on FS1 following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Bravo was the sharper fighter in the striking exchanges early on in this fight, walking Puelles down and landing cleanly to bloody Puelles in the first round. While Puelles mostly stayed on the move in that opening frame, he began to slow under Bravo’s pressure toward the end of the first.

Early in the second, Bravo caught Puelles looking stationary and flat-footed against the fence, thumping a left hook to the body that hurt Puelles. As he covered up, Bravo first went high with his punches, then came back to the body with another left in the same spot, sending Puelles crumpling to the floor.

Bravo pounced with punches as Puelles rolled and covered up, but referee Keith Peterson was quick to jump in for the stoppage, bringing an end to the fight at the 1:55 mark of Round 2, and handing Bravo an impressive TKO victory.

The win keeps Bravo undefeated as a pro as he captures the TUF 3: Latin America title. Puelles’ loss is just the second of his career, and his first in over two years.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 98 results include:

• Martin Bravo def. Claudio Puelles via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:55
• Beneil Dariush def. Rashid Magomedov via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Alexa Grasso def. Heather Jo Clark via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Erik Perez def. Felipe Arantes via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Joe Soto def. Marco Beltran via submission (heel hook) – Round 1, 1:37
• Max Griffin def. Erick Montano via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:54
• Douglas Silva de Andrade def. Henry Briones via TKO (spinning backfist) – Round 3, 2:33
• Sam Alvey def. Alex Nicholson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Marco Polo Reyes def. Jason Novelli via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Enrique Barzola def. Chris Avila via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 98, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan and Fernanda Prates contributed to this report on site in Mexico City.)