4:02 pm | February 2, 2019 | Go to Source | Author:
Before UFC Fight Night: Fortaleza’s main event between Raphael Assuncao and Marlon Moraes, a multitude of undercard fights had major implications. Here’s how it all went down.
1:28
Markus Perez submits Anthony Hernandez via arm triangle in the second rout of their bout at UFC Fight Night: Brazil.
Markus Perez defeats Anthony Hernandezby second-round submission
Perez turned a back-and-forth middleweight fight into his favor with a body kick that sent a hurt Herrnandez into retreat, then swiftly took the fight to the canvas and finished with an anaconda choke at 1:07 of the second round. The Brazilian (11-2), who had lost two of his last three, handed Hernandez (6-1, 1 NC) his first career defeat.
Perez, a 28-year-old from Sao Paolo, is the 15th fighter in UFC history to win by anaconda choke, according to ESPN Stats & Info. Only two fighters, Charles Oliveira and Phil Davis, have done so more than once.
1:19
Mara Romero Borella defeats Taila Santos via split decision at UFC Fight Night: Brazil.
Mara Romero Borella defeats Taila Santos
Borella got back on the winning track by a slim margin, taking two of the three 29-28 scores in her first fight since seeing a seven-fight win streak ended last year.
The 32-year-old Italian (12-5, 2 NCs) closed the distance constantly to make it a grappling match, and she was in control for the first two rounds. But then Santos (15-1), who suffered her first career loss in her UFC debut, got into a standup rhythm in the third and landed consistently. She never hurt Borella to the point of coming near a finish, and fell just short.
2:00
Thiago Alves defeats Max Griffin via split decision in their welterweight bout at UFC Fight Night: Brazil.
Thiago Alves defeats Max Griffin by split decision
Alves, fighting in his hometown of Fortaleza for the first time since his pro debut in 2001, put on a gutty performance in persevering to end a two-fight losing streak. Griffin (14-6) controlled the fight for a round and a half with slick movement, smart distance control and a relentless array of punches, kicks and knees that bloodied up Alves. But the 35-year-old Brazilian (23-13), who challenged Georges St-Pierre for the 170-pound belt back in 2009, had no quit in him. And after he hurt Griffin with a body shot midway through the second, Alves seized advantage and was the fresher fighter after two rounds.
All three judges scored the bout 29-28 and two of favored Alves, who earned his 15th welterweight win in the UFC, third-most ever behind GSP and Matt Hughes.
1:26
Jair Rozenstruik defeats Junior Albini in the second round via the ground-and-pound TKO at UFC Fight Night: Brazil.
Jair Rozenstruik defeats Junior Albini by second-round TKO
Rozenstruik, who seemed unwilling to commit to his kickboxing skills in the first round after being wrestled to the canvas just 30 seconds into the fight, came alive at the start of the second round and remained unbeaten by flooring Albini with a four-punch combination followed by a head kick, then swarming the big Brazilian heavyweight for the TKO finish at 54 seconds of the round. For Rozenstruik (7-0), a longtime kickboxer who is the first athlete from Suriname to compete in the UFC, it was his sixth career KO.
Albini (14-5) lost his third fight in a row.
Geraldo de Freitas Jr. defeats Felipe Colares by unanimous decision
De Freitas Jr. was a step ahead in the standup and the aggressor during much of the ground fighting as he won his seventh in a row and handed Colares (8-1) his first career loss in this UFC debut for both Brazilian bantamweights. Two of the judges scored the bout 30-27 for de Freitas (12-4) and the other had it 30-26.
1:11
Said Nurmagomedov, a relative of Khabib, wins via TKO over Ricardo Ramos in the first round of their bout at UFC Fight Night: Brazil.
Said Nurmagomedov defeats Ricardo Ramos by first-round TKO
Nurmagomedov did not fight the way one might expect of someone with that surname, as he never even looked for a takedown, instead backing up Ramos with a standing attack and finishing him in the first round with a spinning kick to the body.
The bantamweight fight did go on for a few more seconds, as Ramos (12-2), immobilized on the mat, absorbed a swarm of punches before the referee stopped the fight at 2:28 of the round.
It was the seventh win in a row for Nurmagomedov (13-1), the 26-year-old cousin of lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Rogerio Bontorin defeats Magomed Bibulatov by split decision
Bontorin made quite a splash in his UFC debut, countering Bibulatov’s relentless wrestling with submission threats to earn two of the three 29-28 scores. It was high-level grappling from the start, as Bontorin (15-1) was taken down early but reversed position and nearly sank in a rear-naked choke.
For Bibulatov, it was his second straight loss after starting his career 14-0. He had not fought in 16 months while recovering from a back injury, and he missed weight on Friday, prompting the fight to be switched to a 127-pound catchweight contest.
Still to come …
• Raphael Assuncao vs. Marlon Moraes
• Jose Aldo vs. Renato Moicano
• Demian Maia vs. Lyman Good
• Charles Oliveira vs. David Teymur
• Johnny Walker vs. Justin Ledet
• Livinha Souza vs. Sarah Frota
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