Joe Soto earned a victory over the #14 ranked Rani Yahya at UFC Fight Night 106.
It was a bloody victory for Soto, who claims that the bloodletting was a sacrifice he had to make to get the win.
“That one was dripping in my eye,” Soto said after the event. “It’s mental. You just don’t let it affect you. I don’t think it did affect me too much. It’s a little bit of blood, just feels like water all over your face. Blood, sweat and tears. That’s what we put into this thing. That’s my sacrifice, is my blood, for this victory.”
The bloody victory was the third win under the UFC banner for Soto. Yahya proved to be a tough challenge for Soto, which came to no surprise to the former UFC title challenger Soto.
“I knew Rani would be tough,” Soto said. “I thought I would do a little bit better of putting things together offensively. My defense was really good; I just got caught with the head butt. But I expected a tough fight. He’s a ranked fighter, a veteran. … I knew it was going to be a hard war in his home country.”
Soto has previously challenged for the UFC Bantamweight Title and he is a former Tachi Palace Fights Bantamweight Champion.
