Filed under: Featured Videos , News , UFC , Videos Maximo Blanco nearly choked out Luke Sanders , who survived and then secured a fight-ending choke of his own. How did the newcomer do it? Some self-confidence helped. Sanders (11-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC), a former RFA bantamweight champ, moved up to featherweight to fight Maximo Blanco (12-7-1 MMA, 4-4 UFC) on short notice at Sunday’s UFC Fight Night 81 event, where he opened the FOX Sports 1-televised prelims with a first-round rear-naked-choke victory . Sanders, who was making some noise prior to his UFC debut, said his belief that he belonged on MMA’s biggest stage helped, especially when he was fighting off an arm-triangle choke early in the bout. “I feel right at home here,” Sanders told MMAjunkie after the event.
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Luke Sanders on UFC-debut win, surviving choke: ‘I feel right at home’ here – MMA Junkie