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UFC returned to Fortaleza, Brazil with a Fight Night card that had an exciting balance of veterans as well as young prospects looking to begin 2019 on a winning note.
Jose Aldo and Demian Maia turned back the clock against hungry up-and-comers while a new Bantamweight title contender rose to the occasion in the main event of the evening. It was a night full of finishes and elite level fighting as the fans who filled up the Northeast Olympic Training Centre certainly got their money's worth.
On that note, let's jump right into the results and highlights:
UFC Fight Night 144 Prelims Results
Markus Perez def. Anthony Hernandez via submission (Anaconda Choke) (1:07, Round 1)
Mara Romero Borella def. Taila Santos via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Thiago Alves def. Max Griffin via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Jair Rozenstruik def. Junior Albini via TKO (head kick and punches) (0:54, Round 2)
Geraldo de Freitas Jr. def. Felipe Dias Colares via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Said Nurmagomedov def. Ricardo Ramo via TKO (spinning back kick and punches) (2:28, Round 1)
Rogerio Bontorin def. Magomed Bibulatov via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Livinha Souza vs. Sarah Frota (Women's Strawweight)
This was the UFC debut for undefeated Sarah Frota (9-0), who missed weight by nearly 7 pounds. This was former Invicta Strawweight Champion Livinha Souza's third UFC fight who was going into the fight with a 13-1 record.
Round 1: The women began with a high ten to kick off the main card proceedings of the night. Frota looked the to impose her size advantage as the fight went straight to the ground within the first minute.
Frota was on top at full guard after a brief scramble as Souza landed a few punches from the bottom. Souza attempted the armbar before going back to full guard as Frota was encouraged to be more active on the mat. She worked the body with a few shots before Souza almost got in another sneaky armbar. Frota turned around and both women were back up on their feet.
Souza sprawled and shot for a takedown but Frota defended well. Both women clinched on the fence as we neared the end of the round. Souza worked the single leg takedown and wrestled Frota down for a takedown as we entered the final 10 seconds of the round. It was a bit careless on Frota's part to go down on her back that easy to end the round.
10-9 Souza
Round 2: Frota was weirdly not using her size to pepper Souza with the jabs as her corner failed to highlight the obvious fact. Souza connected with a right that seemed to have rocked Frota. Souza landed another successful takedown and assumed full guard position.
Souza was unable to pass guard as she was locked down by Frota's feet. The referee got them up due to inactivity. The fight went back to the mat as Souza landed yet another takedown. A few hammer fists from the top and the fight was back up.
Frota got a few good left shots and locked in the clinch. A few strong kees to Souza but Souza hung on. She took the fight to the mat again, transitioned to Frota's back and got in the hooks. She locked in the rear naked choke but sadly ran out of time.
10-9 Souza
Round 3: A good body kick by Souza but Frota answered with a right hand followed by a left hook. Souza used her Judo background to good effect as she notched up four takedowns up until that point.
Frota got Souza down and took the full guard position. Souza was more than happy to go to the ground and landed shots from her back. Frota, though, controlled from top position but didn't do much as the referee stood them up.
Souza shot for a loose takedown but failed. Frota with a good body kick as she continued to press forward. Frota stuffed a takedown attempt and stayed on the mat. Frota landed a few kicks as Souza remained on the ground waiting for Frota to jump in. Frota didn't take the bait as the ref called for Souza to get up as the fans grew restless.
Frota landed a power left which visibly hurt Souza. Frota pressed with a one-two as she looked to for the killer blow. The fight, however, came to a close as both ladies went the distance.
10-9 Frota
Result: Livinha Souza def. Sarah Frota via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Apart from a few knocks, it was a largely clinical performance by the Brazilian Gangster who snapped the undefeated streak of the debuting Frota, who was fined 40% of her fight purse for missing weight.
Johnny Walker vs. Justin Ledet (Light Heavyweight)
The highly vibrant Johnny Walker was in action up next as he looked to follow up on his impressive UFC debut. Walker is known for his enthusiastic persona and a highly explosive style of fighting which includes a wild striking skill set. Walker came into the fight on a 7-fight win streak with 12 first-round finishes to his name.
His opponent Texan native Justin Ledet came into the fight as an underdog with an overall record of 9-1-1.
Round 1: This was a quick one! Walker looked extremely calm and composed as the fight began. Ledet looked for a few jabs before Walker barely connected with a spinning heel kick followed by a spinning back fist that landed properly and took Ledet down.
Walker threw, what seemed to be an illegal soccer kick while Ledet was on the ground but the referee let it pass as it didn't connect. The Brazilian rushed in to apply the finishing touches. He landed a few punches from the top as the referee stepped in and stopped the fight.
Result: Johnny Walker def. Justin Ledet via TKO (Spinning Back Fist and Punches) (15 seconds, Round 1)
A walk in the park for the fan favorite Walker in front of his home fans as he notched up his 13th first-round finish, 2nd UFC win, and 16th overall victory. He was lucky to not get disqualified as if he would have landed with the soccer kick while Ledet was on the ground, it would have been a completely different night.
A solid performance and a great show of personality by Walker. Dana White may have found a marketable Brazilian star here.
Charles Oliviera vs. David Teymur
Coming into the fight with the most submission finishes in UFC history (13), Charles Oliviera's lethal ground game can intimidate even the best of grapplers. The 29-year-old had a great 2018 as he got three performance of the night bonuses and looked to begin 2019 with a win over former Ultimate Fighter contender, the Swedish David Teymur.
Round 1: Oliviera and Teymur exchanged two swift kicks as Teymur's high-level kickboxing background was highlighted at the onset of the fight. The fight was stalled after Oliviera got eye poked. He took his time as the doctors attended to him. Replays showed that Oliviera got poked in both eyes, which was pretty nasty to watch!
A point was taken off Teymur for the eye poke. Oliviera stopped yet again to the displeasure as there seemed to be another eye poke. The fight got underway quickly as Oliviera rushed with a straight kick. The pace of the fight amped up as Teymur landed with a power left shot that took Oliviera down.
Oliviera recuperated and both men continued to keep up the pressure. Oliviera almost got the back of Teymur before grabbing onto his leg. However, Teymur connected with some hammer fists from the top to break free.
Oliviera hurt Teymur with two well-timed flying knees. Teymur got a good combination going in the final 20 seconds as Oliviera also got in a few punches in before the round came to a close. A wild round indeed!
Round 2: Teymur's right eye seemed to be hurt as it looked shut as the round began. Teymur looked to parry with the jab and a few strikes but Oliviera connected with an up elbow while coming in. He followed it up with an uppercut as Teymur was rocked. Oliviera unleashed a flurry of strikes as Teymur covered up. The referee almost stopped the fight but Teymur clinched on for dear life.
Oliviera pushed him away and got hold of his neck. He took him to the ground, locked in the anaconda choke and forced the tap.
Result: Charles Oliviera def. David Teymur via submission (Anaconda Choke) (0:55, Round 2)
Another big win for the Sao Paolo native as he extended his submission record to a record 14 finishes. The king of submissions took himself up to fourth in the all-time list of UFC finishes with 13 and extended his overall record to 26-8-1. Oliviera stated in his post-fight interview that he is ready to feature on the Miami card in April.
Lyman Good vs. Demian Maia (Welterweight)
A classic striker vs grappler offering followed Oliviera's record-extending victory. Good (20-4-1), who was the inaugural Bellator Welterweight Champion, came into the fight on the heels of his KO win against Ben Saunders at UFC 230 in November 2018.
As for the 41-year-old Maia (25-9), the 3-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion was coming off a three-fight losing streak and would have been aching to get a big win over a promising contender.
Round 1: Good is backed up on the cage at the beginning of the fight which was already perceived to be a bad decision as he was playing right into Maia's strengths. Maia predictably shot for the left leg and after some resistance, took Good down by transitioning from a single leg to a double. They got back up on their feet but Maia didn't let go.
He got hold of Good's back and climbed up for a standing rear naked choke. Maia continued to work his way into getting a firm grip on the choke as the fans cheered for Maia.
Good got some momentary relief but Maia got the grip he was looking for and left him with no option but to submit.
Result: Demian Maia def. Lyman Good via submission (Rear Naked Choke) (2:38, Round 1)
Maia became the first man to submit Lyman Good in what was a quintessential Maia performance. Good lost the fight as soon as he retreated from the first second itself and played according to the Brazilian's gameplan. Maia took full advantage and brought up his 10th submission win in his career. It was Maia's first win since May 2017, who said that he had no plans of hanging up his gloves anytime soon. What a legend!
Jose Aldo vs. Renato Moicano (Featherweight)
One of the greatest Featherweights of all time was set to take center stage next in front of his own people as Jose Aldo (27-4) returned to the Octagon for the first time since his performance of the night win against Jeremy Stephens from July 2018.
A win for potential Featherweight contender Renato Moicano (13-1-1) over the former king of the 145 lbs division would surely grant him a title shot. He is coming off an emphatic win against the veteran Cub Swanson for which he got the performance of the night bonus.
The fans showered their love for the legendary Aldo as the co-main between the old-timer and young up-and-comer got underway.
Round 1: The Brazilians touched gloves and it was a cautious start as both men checked their range. Moicano and Aldo traded a few jabs and missed a few rights. Aldo landed a few quick leg kicks as Moicano shifted to Southpaw.
Aldo momentarily slipped and almost gave Moicano an opening but he balanced himself as Moicano landed a casual head kick. Aldo blocked a right and missed a leg kick.
Aldo showed some brilliant head movement as he forced Moicano to miss a host of strikes. The first round ended without any major moments as both men took the 5 minutes to read each other's respective game plans. A tough round to score but Aldo may have edged it owing to more volume of strikes.
10-9 Aldo
Round 2: Moicano came out more aggressive as he connected with outside and inside leg kicks. However, he wasn't prepared for what was about to follow as vintage Aldo came to to the party!
He stunned Moicano with a left hook and followed it up with a body shot. Aldo smelled blood as he went in for the finish by letting loose a flurry of hooks to the body and head. He hurt Moicano again with a knee and the referee called a stop to the contest as Moicano couldn't handle the subsequent onslaught.
Result: Jose Aldo def. Renato Moicano via TKO (Knees and punches) (0:44, Round 2)
Aldo jumped out of the cage and celebrated the win as the fans in Fortaleza erupted for the King of Rio. In his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping, Aldo stated that he was prepared to face anyone as he desired to extend his winning streak. Aldo had previously stated that he intended on fighting three times in 2019 before calling time on his glittering career. One down, two more to go. However, if things continue to go this way, we won't be surprised to see the legend stick around for a few more fights.
#6 Raphael Assuncao vs. Marlon Moraes (Bantamweight)
The 135 lbs fight between the #3 and #4 fighters of the division was a cleary a title eliminator to decide TJ Dillashaw's next opponent. Their first fight in at UFC 212 ended in a close split decision victory for Assuncao. Moraes (21-5-1) won three of his next fights while Assuncao (27-5) hasn't lost either.
Round 1: The fight began with a decent pace as there were leg kicks galore from both men. The fight was evenly poised halfway through the round until Moraes rocked Assuncao with two powerful overhand rights. Assuncao dropped down to the mat but he was still in the fight as Moraes jumped into full guard.
Assuncao seemed to have recovered but Moraes was like a man possessed as he peppered Assuncao with some vicious shots from half guard. He connected with a right and locked in the Guillotine before sweeping into mount.
Moraes forced the tap and gained redemption for his first loss to Assuncao with a dominating display this time around.
Result: Marlon Moraes def. Raphael Assuncao via Submission (Guillotine) (3:17, Round 1)
A third straight first-round finish for Moraes has put his name firmly in contention for TJ Dillashaw's Bantamweight title. He fired shots at the champ in his post-fight interview and claimed that he didn't feel Dillashaw was worthy enough to face him after his loss to Henry Cejudo. By the looks of it, though, Moraes vs. Dillashaw could certainly be up next if the Cejudo fight at 135 is put on hold.
