UFC 140 Results: Jake Hecht Ready for Prime Time After Impressive Debut Victory

At 27 years of age, Jake Hecht is viewed by many as a welterweight with tons of potential. Hecht took a major step toward realizing that potential as he scored an impressive second-round knockout of Rich "Raging Bull" Attonito in his UFC debut.

Attonito was actually in control throughout the first round as he bogged Hecht down and kept him stationary on the mat. Attonito didn't hurt Hecht, but he continually struck him with body and head shots in an attempt to wear down the much younger fighter.

The second round was a much different story, however, as Hecht battled back and staggered Attonito with a couple vicious elbows. This gave Hecht the upper hand as he was able to engage in some ground-and-pound tactics that ultimately led to the referee stopping the fight.

With the victory, Hecht improved to 11-2 in his young career in mixed martial arts. It wasn't as if Hecht took advantage of a tomato can, however, as Attonito is an alum of The Ultimate Fighter and is a very capable brawler with a fantastic physique.

That didn't slow Hecht down in the least, though, and he now appears ready to take a leap up the card. Hecht needed this win in order to prove his worth in the UFC, but now that he has it, it is quite apparent that he is ready for bigger challenges.

Hecht is very young in MMA terms so he has plenty of time before he reaches the ranks of the elites, but he proved against Attonito that he has what it takes. Because of that, his next fight should be much higher on the card and of much more importance.

Attonito may not be a top-flight talent, but he has had a pretty successful career to this point, so beating him is surely a feather in Hecht's cap. It is difficult to say how far Hecht can rise as a fighter, but he is definitely ready to raise the level of competition.