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#4. Karine Silva – defeated Poliana Botelho in a UFC flyweight bout
Last night’s show saw the UFC debuts of a couple of interesting-looking prospects. Perhaps the one who could find herself in title contention in no time is women's flyweight Karine Silva. ‘Killer Karine’ made light work of the more experienced Poliana Botelho, dropping and submitting her inside a single round.
This was basically a flawless victory for Silva, who showed no nerves in her octagon debut whatsoever. She looked calm, picked her shots, and once she had Botelho hurt, she hunted for the finish in the form of a brabo choke, forcing her to tap despite their being only seconds remaining in the stanza.
Given that the win was her 15th career victory and she’s never been the distance, it’s safe to say that Silva is a prospect to watch. When you consider that the flyweight division is thin to begin with – and reigning champ Valentina Shevchenko is always looking for potential challengers – then ‘Killer Karine’ could well find herself on the fast track.
If that’s the case, then things won’t get any easier for her from here – but judging on this performance, she could well prove to be up to the challenge.
#3. Lucas Almeida – defeated Michael Trizano in a UFC featherweight bout
UFC debutant Lucas Almeida’s featherweight clash with TUF 27 winner Michael Trizano seemed to be flying under the radar last night. In the end, the two men delivered the goods hugely, picking up the $50k Fight of the Night award in the process.
However, while Trizano definitely played his part in the fight, pushing a hectic pace throughout and leaving Almeida doing the fish dance after stunning him in the first round, it was the Brazilian debutant who came away with the win, marking himself out as a man to watch.
Sure, Almeida probably took more damage than he’d have wanted to in that first round. However, after weathering the storm, he essentially looked fantastic, dropping and busting Trizano up in the second round before finishing him off with a genuinely brutal combination early in the third.
With a record of 14-1, complete with no decision wins on his ledger, Almeida is clearly a capable finisher. The fact that he was able to show so much toughness and durability in his debut bodes well for him, too.
He’s clearly a man to watch, and after a debut like this, he should definitely be considered one of last night’s biggest winners.
