Chris Gruetzemacher

Gritz

USA

Subbed in Round 3
LightweightUFC
December 6, 2021
Gruetzemacher lost to Claudio Puelles via submission (kneebar) at 3:25 of Round 3 at UFC Vegas 44 on Saturday.
ANALYSIS
Of Gruetzemacher's five professional losses, four of them have been via submission, which happened to be the bread and butter of the 25-year-old Puelles. Entering the third round of what was a close fight, Gruetzemacher jumped to an early lead in the striking battle and even recorded a takedown, but that's when Puelles put his jiu-jitsu to work. When it was all said and done, only 38 of Gruetzemacher's 96 strikes were considered significant, and he also conceded 6:20 of control time to his opponent. He had a chance to build momentum here after a July victory over Rafa Garcia, but instead, he falls to 3-4 under the UFC banner.
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Scheduled to fight Dec. 4
LightweightUFC
August 30, 2021
Gruetzemacher will face Claudio Puelles on Dec. 4 in a lightweight clash, Marcel Dorff of MMADNA.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Despite allowing five takedowns, Gruetzemacher got an ugly win against Rafa Garcia in his last fight. He has alternated wins and losses in his past four fights.
Digs deep to get past Rafa Garcia
LightweightUFC
July 31, 2021
Gruetzemacher defeated Rafa Garcia via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) at UFC on ESPN 28 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
It was an ugly, grinding affair, and that's exactly how Gruetzemacher likes it. The man they call "Gritz" got off to a slow start, but Garcia slowly faded and Gruetzemacher was able to pick up the pace. He turned the tide in Round 2 before blowing Garcia out of the water in Round 3. All told, Gruetzemacher finished with a 176-90 edge in total strikes landed. He did allow Garcia to land five takedowns, so that is something that will need to be cleaned up moving forward. Gruetzemacher has alternated wins and losses in his past four fights.
Draws Garcia in July
LightweightUFC
May 3, 2021
Gruetzemacher is scheduled to take on Rafa Garcia at the UFC event scheduled for July 31, Alex Behunin of Cageside Press reports.
ANALYSIS
Gruetzemacher returned from a two-year layoff in October only to be finished by Alexander Hernandez in the first round and fall to 1-3 in his last four fights. The UFC isn't giving him any breaks with Garcia, a former Combate Americas champion who snapped a 12-fight winning streak in his UFC debut against Nasrat Haqparast in March. While Gruetzemacher is an inch taller, Garcia will have a two-inch reach advantage, in addition to a full camp to prepare for this fight.
Falls following extended layoff
LightweightUFC
October 31, 2020
Gruetzemacher lost to Alexander Hernandez via TKO (punches) at 1:46 of Round 1 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
Fighting for the first time since April 2018, Gruetzemacher lasted all of 106 seconds. Gruetzemacher has had all sorts of difficulty coming back from a torn ACL. His movements and footwork appeared slow Saturday, but it was difficult to tell if that was due to the long layoff, the injury or simply the fact that Hernandez is a better fighter. Gruetzemacher was coming off a knockout win over the ultra-durable Joe Lauzon prior to the injury. Gruetzemacher will undoubtedly get another opportunity with the company, but he turned 34 years old this past June and it's entirely possible the torn ACL robbed him of any chance to make a legitimate statement at 155 pounds.
Making first start 2018
LightweightUFC
October 5, 2020
Gruetzemacher will take on Alexander Hernandez in a lightweight bout at the UFC event Oct. 31 in Las Vegas, MMAJunkie.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Gruetzemacher will be making his first start since April of 2018 when he defeated Joe Lauzon via TKO. He was supposed to fight Jesus Pinedo in the Spring of 2019, but ended up tearing his ACL and has been trying to get back every since.