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While the main card for UFC Fight Night 137 had undergone a lot of changes, there was one part of the card that had managed to remain the same.
The Early Prelims and Prelims of UFC Fight Night 137 delivered more than anyone could have hoped for on the night. The performances of each and every fighter went beyond par, as they struggled to put on a show which would liven the already raucous Brazilian crowd for the main card and the fights of the night.
Over the course of the preliminary fights, there were several that were very noteworthy. Some of the fights even did as good as most of the fights on the main card if they did not do better. With a good start to the card, there did not seem to be much chance of it slowing down anytime soon. In this article, we will talk about the opening fights and what happened on the UFC Fight Night 137 Preliminary Card.
Without any further ado, let's get into it.
Early Prelims:
#1. Alex Chambers vs. Livinha Souza:
The first fight of the night was between 'Astro Gir' Alex Chambers of Sydney, Australia, and Livinha Souza of Sao Paolo, Brazil. The hometown girl found herself as the natural favourite in the Strawweight Division fight.
Round 1: Souza came out swinging in the first round, and Chambers found herself pinned against the cage. She took down Chambers and then locked in the Guillotine Choke.
That's it! The first fight is over! Souza has won, Chambers has tapped out!
Result: Livinha Souza defeated Alex Chambers via Submission (Guillotine Choke, 1st Round, 1 Minute and 21 Seconds)
#2. Luigi Vendramini vs. Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos:
Dos Santos came in with the fifth-longest win streak, of five, and with this win over fellow Brazilian Vendramini, he was looking to make his mark and advance to possible title contender-ship.
Round 1: Vendramini, a newcomer to UFC, came for Takedown immediately. He was blocked by Dos Santos, who locked in the Peruvian Necktie. Vendramini looked strong as he rode out the Necktie and immediately took him down.
Vendramini got on Dos Santos' back and locked in the Rear Naked Choke on his back. Dos Santos was able to break out of the hold, but Vendramini was still on his back. Vendramini locked it back in and put pressure on Dos Santos' back.
Both men looked tired from the submission attempts, but they came back swinging at each other. Vendramini tried to kick Dos Santos, but fell during the attempt and took some bad right hands in the process, as the first round ended.
Round 2: Dos Santos is not a person you want to mess with. He came out with a flying knee kick early on in the second round when Chambers lost his balance. That was it as all he needed was a few punches to put the newcomer out.
Dos Santos got his 14th KO Victory, at 1 Minute and 20 Seconds into Round 2.
Result: Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos defeated Luigi Vendramini via Knockout (2nd Round, 1 Minute and 20 Seconds)
#3. Hector Lombard vs. Thales Leites:
Leites came in as one experienced fighter against the other. The Middleweight Fighter had history on his side, with 4 hours plus on the Octagon in the Middleweight Division. On the other side, with 34 victories to his name, Lombard was no pushover either, as these two giants of MMA met each other in the middle of the Octagon.
Round 1: The two sparred working on each other, checking each other's weaknesses. Neither fighter was in a hurry, with 82 fights in total with their records combined. Lombard landed a good kick to the inside of the knee, but neither man was able to gain the advantage early on. The leg kicks from Lombard hurt Leites early on. But Leites' elbow opened up Lombard as well.
Round 2: With this fight being the retirement fight for Leites, there was a lot at stake. Leites landed a good body kick. Both men looked for shots urgently, the second round starting much faster than the first. Leites got Lombard down when his own leg kick made him lose his balance. He was back to his feet before Leites took advantage. Leites hit a good right, but Lombard kept dodging. Leites suddenly was the one backing off, as Leites kept going.
Leites' knee seemed hurt, but Leites went to the ground and tried to lock Lombard's arm. Both men came back to their feet, and Leites landed a good knee. Lombard kept going for the inside leg kick, while Leites went for big shots to the face of Lombard.
Round 3: Lombard looked to be suffering from his own tactics, as his own leg was also swelling up. Leites looked strong, as he took down Lombard in the final seconds of a round which went slow but saw Leites strong.
Leites retired as a strong fighter, who displayed his capabilities even in his final fight.
Result: Thales Leites defeated Hector Lombard via Unanimous Decision (29-28).
#4. Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Gillian Robertson:
With 5 victories and no defeats, there was a lot on the line as she took on Gillian Robertson.
Round 1: Bueno Silva seemed to be in charge early on, with a good elbow dropping Robertson. Robertson came back with a takedown and worked Silva on the ground. The pressure that Robertson was exerting seemed to be working. Silva got back to her feet and hit Gillian Robertson with a couple of hard shots. Robertson worked Silva yet again on the ground, but it was not too long before it was over. Silva locked in the Armbar on Robertson, and the sudden armbar had her tap out.
Robertson was in tears due to the suddenness of the loss. Silva's undefeated streak continued. Both women seemed to have picked up an injury. Silva's leg was very hurt. Silva has now picked up her first UFC Win.
Result: Mayra Bueno Silva defeated Gillian Robertson via Submission (Armbar, 1st Round, 4 minute and 55 seconds.
#5. Ben Saunders vs. Sergio Moraes:
Round 1: Ben Saunders squared off against Moraes in the final fight of the Early Prelims of the night. Saunders was down on the ground for most of the first round, with Moraes putting his weight on him, while also struggling to avoid being pulled into a submission. Saunders spent almost the whole first round on his back, while Moraes locked in a good position on top of him and hit a few good shots. In the last seconds of the fight, Moraes almost locked in an armbar, but Saunders was able to avoid it.
Round 2: Saunders stood no chance as he won in the second round with an Arm Triangle Choke. He was on Saunders for most of the fight and looked really good during it. The end came at 4:42 minutes into the second round.
Result: Sergio Moraes defeated Ben Saunders via Submission (Arm Triangle Choke, 2nd Round, 4 Minutes and 42 Seconds).
Prelims:
#1. Chase Sherman vs Augusto Sakai:
Round 1: Augusto Sakai came out hard and fast, with both fighters testing each other out in the early going of the fight. Sakai had some flying knees going and big shots as Sherman had to back away, but Sherman landed a shot or two as well, not looking shaken at all. Sakai and Saunders exchanged equal blows as the fight came to an end for the first round.
Round 2: Round 2 started off with a pause, as Augusto Sakai got an accidental finger in his eye. The two started again, and Sakai came out swinging. Both looked to grab any gap in the other's offence. While Sherman seemed to get a few shots, Sakai got some big heavy shots in. Sherman stumbled, as he lost balance following a combination by Sakai, but Sherman stumbled forward and brought Sakai close in. Sakai dominated most of the second round, as he looked indomitable. The second round came to an end with Sakai as the dominant fighter.
Round 3: Round 3 saw Augusto Sakai come back with huge shots. Sakai hit him with a right hook which shook him, followed by a couple of knees to the face. Sherman took a long time to go down, but he finally did, and when he did Sakai jumped on him. His elbows were enough for the win.
Result: Augusto Sakai defeated Chase Sherman via TKO (3rd Round, 4 Minutes and 3 Seconds)
#2. Luis Henrique vs. Ryan Spann:
Another fight, another UFC debutant. Ryan Spann is set to face off against expert former Heavyweight, Luis Henrique.
Round 1: Spann and Henrique started off fast, with both the fighters landing shots and then breaking away just as quickly. Spann's shots saw Henrique's nose bleeding inside the first three minutes. Henrique took down Spann and looked to land some blows while he was on the ground. Spann got back to his feet, and Henrique tried for another takedown, but Spann wrapped him a Guillotine. Henrique broke out, but he was obviously worse for wear. Henrique took down Spann in the final seconds of the first round.
Round 2: Spann tried to get some quick shots in early into the second round. Henrique took down Spann but ended up on the bottom. Henrique locked in the Guillotine Choke, and Spann looked like he was too tired to break out, but despite that, it's exactly what Spann did, and instead came back with a Guillotine Choke of his own. That did not work, and the second round ended with neither fighter strong.
Round 3: Henrique came back into the third round with a takedown, but he was exhausted as well. Spann rolled over and reversed, hitting Henrique with elbows. Neither fighter seemed to be able to land the telling blow due to the exhaustion.
Both fighters hung on to each other on the ground as the seconds wore down. Spann appeared the fresher fighter throughout and dominated the last round. Spann's UFC debut was definitely all he wanted it to be, even if he had to go all three rounds.
Result: Ryann Spann defeated Luis Henrique via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
#3. Fransisco Trinaldo vs. Evan Dunham:
The second fight of the night, where one of the fighters was set to retire, Evan Dunham took on Fransisco Trinaldo in a brilliant fight.
Round 1: Trinaldo had a lot of power and that's exactly what he was hoping to use early on in the first round. Dunham was looking to get a big win in his last fight before his retirement. Dunham tried for a left, but instead got caught by a counter from Trinaldo.
Trinaldo and Dunham went to the ground, with Dunham going single leg and hanging on to his feet. As the first round came to an end, Trinaldo hit a big kick, which was not blocked by Dunham.
Round 2: The kick-off of the second round saw Dunham rush out, but Trinaldo hit Dunham with a big left. Trinaldo could not take advantage, and the fight continued. The end when it came was swift and without any mercy. After a lot of sparring between Trinaldo and Dunham, Trinaldo knocked Dunham down, and it was over.
Result: Francisco Trinaldo defeated Evan Dunham via KO (2nd Round, 4 Minutes and 10 Seconds)
#4. Charles Oliveira vs. Christos Giagos:
In the final fight of the Prelims card from UFC Fight Night 137, the card had a huge one, with Christos Giagos taking on Charles Oliveira.
Round 1: Giagos was out to shock the world by defeating Oliveira. He was jumped around and looked for the early knees to the face. Giagos pushed Oliveira back with a combination. Giagos was knocked down, but got back to his feet immediately. Oliveira missed with what could have been a disastrous right elbow. Oliveira took risks with another jump knee, as he looked to bring down his opponent. Giagos was composed, but Oliveira took him down and worked Giagos on the ground. Oliveira got full mount, but Giagos bucked him off. Giagos caught Oliveira on the nose, and looked to take advantage in the final few seconds of the first round.
Round 2: Oliveira started off with two spinning back kicks. He then launched another jump knee, into the clinch. Giagos came into the fight with a measured approach and he stuck to it. Oliveira lauched some midsection kicks,and took Giagos down. He got on the back of Giagos, and kept throwing punches. He then finished it off with a win by Submission due to the Rear Naked Choke, and got the record for the most submission wins in UFC history.
Result: Charles Oliveira defeated Christos Giagos via Submission (Rear Naked Choke, 2nd Round, 3 Minutes and 22 Seconds)
