February 18, 2025 8: 00 am ET
LAS VEGAS – Rafael Estevam beat Jesus Aguilar with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 251 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Estevam, who stayed unbeaten and won at flyweight without a weight issue in the UFC for the first time.
Rafael Estevam def. Jesus Aguilar
Result: Rafael Estevam def. Jesus Aguilar via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Updated records: Estevam (13-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) def. Jesus Aguilar (11-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC)
Key stats: Estevam landed 11 takedowns for more than 9 minutes of total control time.
Rafael Estevam def. Jesus Aguilar, UFC Fight Night 251 (via UFC)
Estevam on the fight’s key moment
“I knew that I was going into the third round up two (rounds to) nothing. I got to the third round and started running away with it a little. I knew I needed to pull a rabbit out of a hat, and I was able to do it. It was about waiting for him to make a mistake. When he did – he kind of overreached out there – I was able to take him over, and from then on, I knew that I had it in me. It was just a matter of controlling, and I was happy about that win.”
Estevam on his grappling
“That was the plan – to keep things on the ground. I didn’t know if that was his plan. I figured he would have watched the tape on me and did not want to go to the mat. I thought he was going to keep his distance. … But listen: Once you’re there with me, he decided to grapple when he was goin