UFC Pittsburgh prelim results & highlights: Uriah Hall pulls off another comeback TKO

The UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Branch preliminary bouts are in the books, as 3 of the 4 fights ended before the final bell. Olivier Aubin-Mercier picked up a tough split decision victory over Tony Martin in the feature preliminary match. Daniel Spitz showed up big time in Pittsburgh with a first round TKO of Anthony Hamilton in a swift :24. Uriah Hall overcame early adversity to pick up a second round TKO of Krzysztof Jotko, that snapped a 3-fight losing skid. Jiu-Jitsu ace Gilbert Burns picked himself up a one-punch knockout victory, as he blasted Jason Saggo with an overhand right that shut out the lights.

Prelims:

Tony Martin vs. Olivier Aubin-Mercier: Lightweight

OAM found success with his throws and trips, as he was able to put Martin on his back multiple times over the course of the first 2 rounds. Martin rallied in the third, finding top position off of an Anaconda attempt, and worked his ground strikes from the back of OAM as time expired. When the dust settled, it was OAM that earned the split decision, extending his winning streak to 3.

Check out Martin’s smooth sub skills in response to a takedown:

Daniel Spitz def. Anthony Hamilton by TKO at of round 1: Heavyweight

Spitz made quick work of Hamilton, as he slipped the first punch thrown to land his own, dropping his opponent. Spitz followed up with heavy ground and pound, not giving Hamilton a moment to recover, prompting the referee to call a halt to the bout.

This is basically the entire fight:

Uriah Hall def. Krzysztof Jotko by TKO at 2:25 of round 2: Middleweight

Jotko got off to a rather quick start, as he immediately pressured Hall, overwhelming him with strikes. A flush uppercut seemed to stun Hall, and Jotko poured on a plethora of uppercuts, before scoring a takedown complete with brutal ground strikes. Jotko took the back of his opponent and committed to a Rear-Naked Choke, but Hall hung tough and escaped. Hall came out on fire in the second frame, moving forward, throwing spinning kicks, and appearing to have more urgency. Hall landed a brilliant straight right that slumped Jotko, and then followed up with some academic ground strikes to score the TKO finish.

Watch Uriah Hall do the darn thing with a laser of a right hand:

Gilbert Burns def. Jason Saggo by KO at 4:55 of round 2: Lightweight

Burns and Saggo went right at one another, standing in the center of the cage, and exchanging heavy strikes. Saggo worked his kicking game, while Burns looked to establish his hands. Burns scored a late takedown in the second frame, and looked to score with some ground and pound, but Saggo was able to scramble back to his feet. Burns began to slip the jab, and found a moment to uncork a monstrous overhand right that sent Saggo crashing to the canvas to earn a one-punch knockout.

Check out Burns dropping a bomb to earn a 1-punch KO:

Watch Burns take Saggo for a ride: