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Action starts at 10 pm ET
Max Holloway took out the legend Jose Aldo in the third round by TKO flurry at 4:13 after landing 58 significant strikes in a dominant round that earned the Hawaiian the win. Aldo rocked Holloway in the first round and looked to be in control of the fight heading into the third. That’s when Holloway found his comfort zone and started to touch up Aldo. It was a serious of big punches that dropped the former king as he tried to survive on the mat. But Holloway transitioned from mount to the back and then punched out Aldo to earn his 11th straight win.
In a shockingly quick first-round finish, Claudia Gadelha submitted Karolina Kowalkiewicz with a rear naked choke at 3:03 of the first round. Kowalkiewicz looked to be settling in on the feet, where it was expected she would hold the advantage. But just like that, Gadelha landed a takedown and quickly took the Polish strawweight’s back before forcing her to tap out. Gadelha has now won two in a row and continues to hold the title of second best strawweight on the planet behind only Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
Vitor Belfort and Nate Marquardt each had their moments, but the judges scored a close unanimous decision win for Vitor Belfort, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28. The legendary Brazilian was out-struck, 57-37 in significant strikes and most of social media seemed to score the fight for Marquardt. But this is another example of the age old adage: never leave it in the hands of the judges.
THEY SAID IT:
Vitor Belfort : “I had patience. I knew he was waiting for me to attack. I think I fought it calmly, I wanted to fight three rounds. I had not fought three rounds in a long time. Earlier in the week, I said that a fight could be a beginning or an end – this is a beginning of another journey. My 40s are the new 20s.”
Heavy hitters Paulo Borrachinha and Oluwale Bamgbose delivered, exchanging big bombs and swinging for the fences until one man fell. It came down to who made the first mistake and Bamgbose slipped and fell on a leg kick attempt. Borrachinha went in for the kill and forced the referee to call a stop to the fight at 1:06 of the second round, giving Borrachinha to extend his perfect record to 10-0.
THEY SAID IT:
Paulo Borrachinha : “I thought this was the hardest fight I ever fought in my life. He surprised me. He’s a very tough guy. He’s endured for a long time. I thought the fight was going to end in the first round, but he managed to get to the second. Now is time to celebrate and wait for the next challenge. I want to face a top-10; I came to be champion.”
Yancy Medeiros landed a catastrophic left hook that sent Erick Silva to the canvas before the Hawaiian had to be pulled off the Brazilian giving Silva the win by TKO at 2:01 of the second round. The fight was thrilling for all seven minutes as the two veterans slung big punches and kicks. Medeiros now has won two in a row.
THEY SAID IT:
Yancy Medeiros : “I felt I was a little passive in the first round. Erick was getting aggressive, but I heard my coaches and changed the fight. About the stoppage, I think the referee could have waited a little longer, but that´s not my call. I don´t ask for fighters, I ask for venues, and I would really like to fight in Hawaii. Bring UFC to Hawaii!”
It was a chess match between Raphael Assuncao and UFC debutant Marlon Moraes on the feet as the two exchanged for 15 minutes before Assuncao was given the nod in the split decision, 28-29, 29-28, 30-27. Moraes had the slight advantage in strikes landed, out-striking Assuncao 41-37. The two had difficulty landing consistently as they postured around the Octagon, but Assuncao rocked Moraes in the first round in what turned out to be the most significant blow of the fight.
THEY SAID IT:
Raphael Assuncao : “It was a tough fight, a big challenge for me. Marlon is a very tough guy. Even though it was not a knockout or a finish, I would like this win to accredit me for the title shot. The champion is injured, Dillashaw is thinking about moving down, so I think I deserve it. But if that ends up not happening and Dominick Cruz is up for a fight with me, I’m in.”
Antonio Carlos Junior and Eric Spicely was billed as a grappling battle and it lived up to the hype. Carlos Junior was the last man standing, as his high level jiu-jitsu was too much for Spicely, who tapped out to a rear naked choke at 3:49 of round two.
THEY SAID IT:
Antonio Carlos Junior : “It was an awesome fight. I knew he would try to bring the fight to the ground because it’s his game. I actually wanted to keep the fight standing for longer, but he did not let it. He played a good game, but jiu-jitsu is my thing. If you want to go to the ground, I’m in. It is very special to win here, with my friends, my mother, my girlfriend all watching. It’s so good to feel the fans’ energy. I entered here feeling that this place was mine, that I already knew it. And I ended up winning the way I like most: getting the back and finishing.”
Matthew Lopez landed the takedown he was looking for from the get-go against Johnny Eduardo early in the first round and the rest was academic. Lopez finished Eduardo by TKO at 2:57 of the first round.
THEY SAID IT:
Matthew Lopez : “I didn´t know what to expect coming to this fight. I didn´t think he was going to throw that many leg kicks. But once I knew that is what he was going for, I knew that my takedowns were going to be off his leg kicks, so I wasn’t worried about them. He was 10; now I want the 9, the 8, the 7, until I get to No. 1.”
It was the perfect debut for Brian Kelleher in Brazil. The Long Island product choked out Iuri Alcantara with a guillotine choke at 1:48 of the first round. Alcantara came out firing big punches and kicks, but Kelleher weathered the storm and landed a big shot that led to the finishing scramble.
THEY SAID IT:
Brian Kelleher : “Actually, earlier in the day I felt really nervous, but once I was walking out I felt confident and knew I belong here. I had taken some losses early on in my career, then I went on a nice win streak. I flipped the mental switch, and I am ready to fight the best now. I think I went a little too far with the Brazilian crowd. I love Brazil. people have been nice with me here, but I was getting booed and I was excited, so I just responded.”
Viviane Pereira was too much in the striking department, outclassing Jamie Moyle on the feet to earn the unanimous decision win, 29-28, 30-27, 30-27. Moyle tried to get the fight to the ground throughout but Pereira was able to keep Moyle at range and elude all takedown attempts.
THEY SAID IT:
Viviane Pereira : “The strategy was to keep the distance and focus on my striking to avoid the clinch and the ground, which was her intention. I want to fight soon. I want to enter the top-15, then top-5 and then, of course, get the belt, which is what every high-performance athlete seeks. I do not choose an opponent, but I always want to face someone better.”
Luan Chagas picked up his first win in the UFC after an impressive performance against Jim Wallhead on UFC FIGHT PASS. Chagas was getting the better of the striking exchanges, using his speed advantage to land consistent counter punches. It was a counter left hook that dropped Wallhead in the second round and Chagas swarmed and sunk in a rear naked choke to earn the submission win at 4:48 of the second round.
THEY SAID IT:
Luan Chagas : “He surprised me at first – hit a few punches and I felt it. But I was very confident in my game, in my striking game, and my cardio was on point, so it was all good. I know that my situation inside the UFC was a bit tight, but I’m sure that after this great win, things will be firm again. Now the fans can only hope for wins until I get the belt. “
Deiveson Figueiredo put on a grappling exhibition in the second round of his UFC debut against Marco Beltran, attacking with submissions and ground and pound before finishing the fight standing by TKO at 5:00 of the second round. Figueiredo improves to 12-0 and established himself as a intriguing new fighter in the UFC 125-pound division. He likes to fight with his hands down and is always game for a brawl and his jiu-jitsu is next level. He almost finished the fight with a heel hook and his transitions were sublime in all the ground scrambles.
THEY SAID IT:
Deiveson Figueiredo : “My debut was exactly the way I wanted, with a show for the Brazilian fans. I can guarantee that from now on, whenever I’m on the card, one of the best fights of the night will be mine. I will always fight to give a show to the fans, to win bonuses. I just got here, and I accept whatever opponent the UFC wants to give me.”
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