The 22-year-old fighter was badly battered by Felipe Silva on the feet and the ground for a good chunk of their lightweight showdown during the UFC’s first trip to Chile earlier in May. The two fighters had a competitive first round, but in the second, Puelles was wobbled, dropped and rained upon with a ground-and-pound by the Brazilian. The fight looked close to over and Puelles seemed to be on his way out.
Entering the third round, it was clear that “El Niño” was in rough shape. He had a Mark Hominick-esque hematoma quickly closing his left eye, an expected point or two deficit in the judges’ cards, and very few people that actually thought he could turn things around.