The UFC returned on Saturday night with a Pay Per View card live from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was a card that may not have been loaded with big names, but this card delivered from an entertainment standpoint. There were a ton of finishes and the main card featured 5 straight finishes. We had the main event, which unified the Featherweight belt and crowned an Undisputed Featherweight Champion. We had longtime Brazilian Champion Jose “Junior” Aldo (26-2 Featherweight Champion) taking on Max “Blessed” Holloway (17-3 Interim Featherweight Champion). This was a great night of fights and a great way to kick off an event filled June in the UFC. Let’s get into the recap.
Beltran / Figueiredo saw two fighters giving all they had.
The first UFC Fight Pass prelim matchup featured Marco “Psycho” Beltran (8-6) and the undefeated Deiveson Figueiredo (12-0). The Jungle Fight veteran Deiveson Figueiredo was making his UFC debut and came out looking to feel out his opponent. Beltran threw a head kick and it missed and Figueiredo came back with a body kick and then a takedown attempt that was stuffed but followed up with another and secured a takedown. He worked his top position into a top guillotine and was then able to roll over and really tried to tighten up the choke. Beltran was able to escape and then ended up on top. Beltran was landing some serious elbows from the top. Figueiredo was able to get out with 10 seconds left and get back to his feet when the round expired. We jumped into round 2 and Beltran was moving forward trying to control the cage. Beltran was really landing some leg kicks that were doing damage. Figueiredo moved forward and pushed Beltran back and landed a body punch and trip that saw him land on top of him and go to work. Beltran was starting to throw up kicks, but Deiveson was able to avoid them pretty well and then dove in and moved to take Beltran’s back. Figueiredo had a choke locked in, but Beltran fought out and ended up being fully mounted for a brief second. Figueiredo had him stacked up against the cage and dove into a heel hook that Beltran really had to struggle and work to get out of it and he did. The fight was back to its feet and Beltran was swinging for the fences and instead ate an elbow with under 15 seconds that cut him wide open. As Beltran backed away he was hit with a huge uppercut and wobbled backward as Figueiredo pounced and pounded him out as the round expired. In between the round, the fight was stopped and that was all she wrote. A very successful debut for Deiveson Figueiredo and he will be thrown into the fire soon in the division.
With both fighters desperate for a victory, Luan “Tarzan” Chagas (15-1-1) took on Jim “Judo” Wallhead (29-11). These two came out pretty patient until Wallhead searched for a big right hand that was avoided. After a few exchanged Chagas landed a nice head kick and he was really moving well forward. The two traded leg kicks and continued to throw. Chagas was the crisper of the two and was really landing the better of the punches. Wallhead shot for a takedown and Chagas stuffed it easily. Chagas was very calm and was just dodging and returning fire consistently. Chagas landed a nice front kick and then continued to counter punch and land. Wallhead missed again and ate a nice combination and a head kick. The round came to an end with a low kick from Chagas that landed. The 2nd round started with Wallhead again coming out looking to land and Chagas just waiting and countering. Wallhead did land a nice right hook that landed and he kept moving forward. Wallhead then ate a groin shot that stopped the action for a few minutes. Upon the restart, Chagas landed a high left kick and continued to eat up Wallhead. Wallhead came forward and was throwing crazy overhand rights and Chagas shot for a clinch and had it for a few seconds until the separated. Chagas was then landing nice combinations that just looked so crisp and then ate an eye poke that then stopped the fight again. Upon the restart, Wallhead threw a spinning wheel kick that missed and Chagas started to move forward again. Chagas landed a nice right hand that slept Wallhead and sent him backward and he followed him right down and landed a punch of shots and Wallhead gave up his back. Chagas sunk in a rear naked choke and took this one home via submission. Luan Chagas looked nothing short of impressive in this fight. He never got overzealous and over exerted himself until it was time to finish the fight. He will be a great prospect to watch in the Welterweight division.
The featured UFC Fight Pass prelim had two Women’s Strawweight prospects going at it with Viviane “Sucuri” Pereira (13-0) and Jamie Moyle (4-2). These two ladies circled around for a majority of the first minute. Moyle went to throw a body kick and it was caught and a clinch battle ensued against the cage. Moyle was really fighting hard to get off the cage, but Pereira was doing a great job keeping her pressed up against the cage. After roughly a minute they separated and were back in the center of the cage. Pereira did a nice job getting off first and landing a jab when she needed to. After a few shots from Moyle, she threw another leg kick that was caught and ate some punishing right hands for her effort. Pereira landed a nice combination and then engaged in a clinch against the cage. While in the clinch Moyle was landing a nice amount of knees to the body. AS the round came to a close Pereira landed another nice combination that finished with a right hand that made solid contact. In round 2 Pereira was again trying to land on the feet, but Moyle was doing a decent job staying out of danger. Moyle shot for a takedown around a minute in but was easily stuffed. Pereira really started to impose her will as the round went on. She was landing combinations over and over again and dictating where the fight went on the feet throughout. Moyle was hanging in there but was eating two and three punch combinations regularly. Moyle tried another kick and Pereira caught it yet again and threw Moyle down to her pack. Pereira stood over top of Moyle and was just eating leg kicks until the round ended. We jumped into round 3 and Moyle started moving forward. She landed a glancing overhand right early but then proceeded to eat a solid 1-2 from Pereira. The tide had stared to change for Pereira and she was just really winning the battles on the feet. Pereira landed a big left hand that did some damage late in the round. Pereira was just the better striker on the feet and used her jab to dictate the fight. Pereira was able to counter everything Moyle was able to throw. The judges scored this one 29-28, 30-27, and 30-27 all for Viviane Pereira. She stays undefeated in her MMA career and at only 23 years old looks poised to potentially be the rising star in this UFC’s Women’s Strawweight division. She will certainly get tested in her next fight with a ranked opponent and we will see if she can step up to the competition.
FS1 was the home of the next set of prelims and it kicked off with Iuri “Marajo” Alcantara (34-8 1NC #13 Ranked Bantamweight) welcoming Brian “Boom” Kelleher (17-7) to the UFC. Alcantara came out with a nice combination and was pushing forward with a front kick. Kelleher then took a straight left and slipped back but battled back to his feet. Kelleher threw a spinning back fist that connected pretty well. Alcantara shot for a takedown after that and Kelleher snatched a guillotine and in no time he secured the tap out. This was an impressive win for Kelleher in his UFC debut beating a ranked opponent. If he can continue with these types of performances we can see him move up the ranks very quickly.
We stayed in the Bantamweight division because up next was Johnny Eduardo (28-11 #10 Ranked Bantamweight) going up against Matthew Lopez (10-1). Eduardo led right out with his patented leg kick and then a follow up right hand. Lopez faked in for a takedown and then returned a nice left hand in a counter to Eduardo. These two were throwing absolute haymakers at each other and Eduardo landed a really nice right hand. Lopez then shot in and landed a takedown. He hit some ground and pound early in the takedown, but Eduardo tried to lock in a heel hook. Eduardo let go and Lopez was back on top throwing hammers. Lopez threw a ton of hammer fists and probably about 5-6 more than was necessary before the referee had seen enough and stopped the fight. A really impressive win for Lopez over the ranked Eduardo. If Lopez can continue to use his wrestling and heavy ground and pound he can go a long way in the bantamweight division.
Ultimate Fighter Brazil season 3 winner Antonio ”Cara de Sapato” Carlos Junior (9-2 1 NC) was next against Ultimate Fighter Season 23 alum Eric “Zebrinha” Spicely (10-3). These two grapplers went right at it with Spicely almost immediately going for a takedown. Carlos Jr. looked good off his back doing some damage and locking in an attempt at some leg locks. These two were trading shots on the ground after that. This quickly became a grappling match that led to Carlos Jr. getting the advantage. They eventually got back to their feet until a takedown and attempt at a rear naked choke from Carlos Jr. ended the round. The second round kicked off with Spicely pulling guard and taking this fight right back to the mat. Carlos Jr. was starting to move the grappling to his advantage and ended up on Spicely’s back. Eventually, after some work, the rear naked choke was locked in and the tap was imminent. Antonio Carlos Jr. has really looked impressive lately and in the cage, with another grappler, it plays right into his strengths. If he can continue to use that Jiu Jitsu prowess he will be in the top 15 shortly.
Top 5 bantamweight Raphael Assuncao (25-5) was in the cage next to welcome former World Series of Fighting Bantamweight Champion Marlon Moraes (18-5-1) to the UFC. Assuncao came right out and was looking to be the aggressor early on. Assuncao landed a nice leg kick but started to eat some overhand shots from Moraes. Moraes ate a low blow but decided he did not need any time to wait for it to recover. Moraes was trying to clearly get his leg kicks in to play while Assuncao was trying to dictate where the fight took place in the cage. Assuncao stuffed a takedown and was doing a decent job staying out of danger. Moraes threw a looping high kick that spun him around and put him on the ground. Assuncao faked a jumping knee and his a left hand then finished the round with 2 huge right hands that may have taken the round. The second round started with Moraes coming right out with a low kick. Assuncao continued to swing for the fences a bit and really throw some punches. Moraes looked good avoiding those shots and trying to fire back. These two were clearly in there for what became more of a boxing match up with the occasional kick. Moraes was starting to land a little and staying out of Assuncao’s range. Moraes just missed with a wheel kick late in the round. A left hand came from Moraes and it connected very well before a takedown attempt that was unsuccessful. We jumped into round 3 and it was more of the same from these guys with on the feet action. Very early Assuncao actually knocked Moraes down for a brief second with a right hand. Assuncao took a really big left hand from Moraes at the beginning of the round but walked right through it. Moraes again got hit below the belt which caused a brief stoppage. There was a late takedown attempt from Moraes, but it was stuffed. The judges ended up decided this one and they came back with scores of 30-27, 29-28, and 28-29 for the split decision winner by Raphael Assuncao. He again stays at the top of the Bantamweight division which is quietly giving the Middleweight division the run for most stacked division in the UFC. For Moraes despite losing his debut he went up against a top ranked guy in the division and will most certainly return with no more first fight jitters.
Pay Per View was on deck next as Erick Silva (19-8 1NC) took on Yancy Medeiros (14-4 1NC) in a Welterweight clash. Silva came out really looking sharp. He landed a really nice head kick that certainly landed. Medeiros then landed a punch in an exchange and seemed to hurt Silva sending him to the mat. Silva was able to get back to his feet and recover for a few seconds. Medeiros landed a nice body kick but ate a counter right hand from Silva that was hard. Silva then rattled off some nice body shots that appeared to hurt Medeiros. Silva was really using the body shots to impose his will. As the round was starting to head towards the end Medeiros landed a nice combination, but Silva was landing some serious leg kicks that were starting be super effective. Silva landed a huge knee that Medeiros somehow ate without any issue right before the rounded ended. Into round 2 and it was Medeiros moving forward early, but then Silva came back with a nice body kick. Silva threw a wild spin kick that missed as Medeiros came forward at him. Silva again landed another nice leg kick that hurt Medeiros. Medeiros then landed an overhand right that was followed up by a left hook that starched Silva and sent him flailing down. Medeiros hopped on and pounded his way to the ref stepping in. Honestly looked as if the ref stepped in a few seconds early Silva had seemingly recovered and was protecting himself despite taking shots. The win goes in the books for Yancy Medeiros and it was an impressive display of power in his left hook that ended this one.
Paulo Borrachinha (10-0) got a chance to tussle in his home country again this time against Oluwale “Holy War Angel” Bamgbose (6-3). This one got off to a weird start with Bamgbose having to have his toe nail clipped in the pre-fight check in before they would let him into the Octagon. However, once the fight started Bamgbose came out absolutely firing. Bamgbose was swinging as hard as possible and landed a nice right hand early to set the tone. The movement from Bamgbose was very erratic, but he was landing heavy shots and ended up with a double leg takedown. He was able to keep Borrachinha down only for a few seconds. The fight got back to the feet and Bamgbose was really swinging for the fences with every single shot. Borrachinha was now starting to find a rhythm and landed two great body kicks. Borrachinha started to stalk Bamgbose against the cage and body shots started to land. Borrachinha landed a body kick that you could hear land from miles away and it changed Bamgbose’s demeanor. Borrachinha went to work and was just unloading with shots to the body and a knee to the head against the cage. Bamgbose was clearly tired at this point and Borrachinha was taking full advantage. He was able to shut down a takedown attempt from Bamgbose against the cage and the round ended with Bamgbose pressing Borrachinha up against the cage. Round 2 started with Bamgbose throwing a spin kick. He continued with his unorthodox attacks but threw a kick that saw him land on his backside. From there Borrachinha covered him right up and literally just unloaded punches until Big John McCarthy had seen enough and called the fight. Another impressive win for Borrachinha. The patience he showed by not going crazy and wasting a ton of energy early despite his opponent’s pace was really a smart way to fight. He is certainly someone to keep an eye on in the Middleweight division.
In what he declared his final UFC fight of his career future Hall of Famer Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort (26-13 #11 Ranked Middleweight) took on Nate “The Great” Marquardt (38-17-3). These two legends were set to do battle and they spent a good deal of time feeling each other out early. Marquardt was able to land a nice takedown and control the fight on the mat for a decent amount of time. The referee stood the two up and we went back to the boxing between these two. Belfort did connect with a nice left hand, but Marquardt didn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing it may have hurt him. The round was rather uneventful after that with both guys not really landing anything of significance. We jumped into round 2 and Marquardt started out being the aggressor. He landed some nice low kicks and managed to stay out of danger. Belfort was able to respond though and threw a flurry of shots that hurt Marquardt followed by an uppercut. Belfort didn’t hop on after that and seemingly let Marquardt recover a bit. Marquardt hit a nice right hand on Belfort as the round expired with minimal action towards the end. Round 3 was a very slow start as well with both guys not wanting to overcommit to anything and risk being knocked out. Marquardt looked to clinch but ate another uppercut from Vitor for his efforts. Belfort was starting to land a little more consistently at this point, which led to a takedown attempt that was stuffed by Vitor. As the seconds ticked off these two tried to muster up a few shots to go for the knockout, but nobody was able to land that final blow and the judges would decide it. They scored it all for Vitor Belfort at 29-28. This was a good performance for Vitor against an opponent more in his age and talent range at this point of his career. For Vitor, despite all the retirement talk leading up to this fight he completely shut that down in the post-fight interview in the Octagon. Who knows what will be next for the UFC legend and whether or not his future is in the UFC.
Two Women who had both challenged for the Women’s Strawweight title were up next with Claudia Gadelha (14-2 #1 Ranked Women’s Strawweight) up against Karolina Kowalkiewicz (10-2 #2 Ranked Women’s Strawweight). The clearly pro-Claudia crowd was ready to go for this one and the fighters touched gloves to kick off the fight. Kowalkiewicz came out and landed a nice right hand early. Gadelha was really just letting Kowalkiewicz come to her and as soon as she could she clinched. On the break of the clinch, Gadelha landed a really nice elbow that did some damage. Kowalkiewicz landed another right hand that was finding its home consistently. Gadelha then looked to clinch and secured a takedown into side control. From side control, Kowalkiewicz gave up her back. Gadelha then started to go to work and made very quick movements into a rear naked choke. The tap was very quick and Gadelha went on to celebrate with her coaches in front of her home country fans. This was an impressive win for Gadelha. It is going to be interesting to see where she goes from here as she has already lost twice to the current champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk (13-0 Women’s Strawweight Champion) and one of those was for the belt. With the new 125lb division on the horizon following the next season of The Ultimate Fighter, maybe she will find her way up a division and challenge for that title soon.
Finally, it was main event time as Jose “Junior” Aldo (26-2 Featherweight Champion) and Max “Blessed” Holloway (17-3 Interim Featherweight Champion) looked to find out who was the undisputed Featherweight Champion. These two guys came out really feeling each other out with Holloway circling to the right and Aldo looking very composed and patient. Aldo threw a kick to the body. Holloway came in to clinch and when it was broke he landed a nice left hand. Aldo then responded with a nice left hand that backed Holloway up and followed in with a combination and a jumping knee. Aldo was looking very good up to this point and not letting Holloway get close to him while still landing shots. The jab from Aldo was keeping Holloway at bay a little. Holloway again shot in and Aldo was able to return fire and avoid any damage. The round ended with nobody really landing anything that did any damage. Holloway came out strong in round 2 with some shots towards the body but ate a nice counter right hand from Aldo. Holloway landed a nice combination that ended with a right hand. Aldo though has looked very good so far and not allowing Holloway to get in close on him. Aldo swung wildly and Holloway came back in with a right hand that landed square on Aldo’s chin. Holloway was really starting to find his timing, but then Aldo fired back with a huge right hand that landed and then partially blocked a head kick from Holloway. Aldo landed a stiff jab at the 1 minute left mark in the round. Holloway was starting to motion to Jose to bring it and flat out taunting him putting his hands up and leaving them down. Aldo came in and threw a spin kick and a big right as the round ended. Round 3 started with Holloway moving forward and looking to find a home for his right hand. The announcers kept making the point that Aldo was not throwing any leg kicks which are usually a staple in his arsenal. Holloway broke away from a tie-up, but Aldo landed the punch coming out of it. Then seemingly out of nowhere, Holloway landed a nice right hand that sent Aldo flying to his back. Holloway jumped right on him and looked to get in the mount, but Aldo was fighting back. Holloway was relentless just peppering him with shots from the top and ending up in full mount raining down punches. Aldo was forced to give up his back and somehow escaped for a brief second until Holloway jumped right back in. Max again got his back and searched for a rear naked choke but let it go to just pummel Aldo with punches. After what seemed to be an eternity of unanswered shots and requests for Aldo to do something from the ref the fight was stopped. Max Holloway is now the Undisputed UFC Featherweight Champion. He has won 11 fights in a row and after a shaky opening round looked very impressive throughout the remainder of the fight. For a young guy to look that good against a formidable foe and champion like Aldo it was an impressive championship performance. Aldo who was very emotional inside the Octagon will bounce back from this, just like when he lost the belt the first time he will come back and win again in the UFC.
This was a night of fights that couldn’t have delivered more for the UFC. The card was filled with finishes up and down and every fight was very entertaining. If this is the beginning of the next 3 months of the summer for the UFC then fans should be ready for some epic cards. Next week the UFC heads back to New Zealand with a Heavyweight Main Event featuring New Zealand’s own Mark “Super Samoan” Hunt (12-11-1 #7 Ranked Heavyweight) and rising star Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis (18-4 1NC #6 Ranked Heavyweight) live on FS1. This should be a fun one and let’s hope it lives up to what UFC 212 just did.
