Marquardt KOs distracted Palhares in UFC matchup

After Nate Marquardt slipped from his grasp on the ground, Rousimar Palhares tried to alert the referee that his opponent had greased up his leg to make Palhares' vicious leg locks difficult to secure.

Marquardt seized on the brief moment of inattentiveness to knock out Palhares in a middleweight matchup on an Ultimate Fighting Championship card Wednesday in Austin, Texas.

After escaping Palhares' first submission attempt of the night, Marquardt saw his opponent appealing to the referee from his back and dived in to land a right hand that stunned Palhares.

Marquardt followed with a series of shots that prompted the referee to stop the fight at 3:28 of the first round.

"I just saw an opportunity and jumped on it," Marquardt said.

The winner was immediately checked for illegal substances by an athletic commission representative and the referee but was apparently clean.

Three lightweight bouts rounded out the main card.

Cole Miller and Charles Oliveira gained submission victories, and Jim Miller scored a unanimous decision over Gleison Tibau.

Cole Miller set up his second-round choke with a series of punches that sent Ross Pearson to the ground.

Oliveira bolstered his status as a rising prospect with a third-round standing choke of Efrain Escudero.

Yves Edwards made his UFC return, winning a unanimous decision over John Gunderson, in the featured undercard bout.

Kyle Kingsbury, Dave Branch, Rich Attonito and Anthony Waldburger each won decisions, and Brian Foster knocked out Forrest Petz in the first round.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509.