Maldonado: “I beat him with my experience.”
source | MMAFighting.com
Despite the dominant performance in the second and third rounds, Maldonado couldn’t stop Villante’s takedowns in the first minutes of the fight.
“I started a little too slow, without knowing that I was fighting, but he took me down twice and I felt his strength,” he said. “He never tried to submit me on the ground, so he gave me opportunities to get back up.
“I beat him with my experience. Villante is a strong kid, but I have more experience in striking than him.”