Robert Valentin finally broke through for his first UFC win, submitting Julien Leblanc in emphatic fashion at UFC Fight Night 273 in Winnipeg.
The Swiss fighter needed less than half a round to finish Leblanc by rear-naked choke on the prelims at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. With the result, Valentin moved to 11-6 in MMA and 1-3 in the UFC, while Leblanc dropped to 10-3 overall and 0-1 in the promotion.
"Every time I step out there, I'm trying, first of all, to be violent as possible – because we're legally allowed to do that (in a fight), so why not take advantage of it?" Valentin said after the bout.
He added: "I'm not there to grind out a decision or to be nice to anyone. I want to be violent. I want to see blood. I want bones to break and skulls to shatter."
Valentin came into the matchup on a three-fight losing streak in the UFC and had referenced the death of his mother as part of his recent career context. He called Saturday’s performance a statement on the big stage.
"Today, I went out there and I said I'm going to be like a train: I'm running through this guy, and anything he puts in between is going to break. That was a truly Robert Valentin performance, and I'm so happy I could show this on the big stage."
