Y. Cabral (photo) wins first in the UFC. Photo: Disclosure / UFC
The preliminary card of UFC Fight Night 29, an event that takes place this Wednesday (09), in Barueri (SP), was for newcomers. Brazilians Igor Araujo, Yan Cabral and Alan Nuguette, who were fighting their first fights in the organization, were able to leave the octagon with the victory. They passed Ildemar Marajó, David Mitchell and Garett Whiteley, respectively.
Igor Araujo surprises and beats Ildemar Marajó
In the 100% Brazilian duel on the preliminary card, Ygor Araujo surprised favorite Ildemar Marajó. Considered an underdog in the dispute, Igor, who participated in TUF 16 in the United States, entered the octagon ready to show his skills.
Right at the beginning of the fight he was not intimidated by his compatriot's greater reach, he closed the distance and attempted the takedown. Marajó defended well, reversed position and ended up on top. But with good ground play, Araújo reversed his position again and ended the round on top.
In the second half, the newcomer managed, once again, to impose his game and did not give Marajó any opportunities to unleash his striking. Despite not being forceful, Igor dominated his rival in the solo fight and equalized the dispute.
With both athletes tired, the third round would be responsible for defining the winner. And the one who left the octagon with his arm raised was Igor Araújo. Repeating the strategy from the previous part, he took Ildemar to the ground, worked on top and defended the desperate heel hooks applied by Marajó.
In the end, Igor Araújo won the unanimous decision of the judges (29×28, 29×28, 29×28).
Yan Cabral debuts with victory in the UFC
A highlight of the second edition of TUF Brasil, Yan Cabral debuted in the Octagon in style. After abandoning the UFC reality show due to a hand injury, the Rio athlete earned the organization's trust and dominated David Mitchell.
Right at the start of the fight, the Brazilian closed the distance, took the fight to the ground and showed off his jiu-jitsu skills. The Nova União fighter was close to submitting with a rear naked choke when he reached his back, but the North American also had a lot of technique and managed to make the save. Even so, Cabral dominated the fight at the end of the first round.
In the second round, the Brazilian landed a good left blow and, shortly afterwards, knocked Mitchell down and kept him on the ground. With an advantage on the judges' scorecards, Yan sealed the triumph with the same strategy as in the previous round. He took down David Mitchell, abused his movement in the ground fight and tried for the submission until the end.
In the end, Yan Cabral won the unanimous decision of the judges (30×27, 30×27, 30×27).
Alan Nuguette also debuts with triumph
In the first fight of the event, Alan Nuguette also debuted at the event in style. Facing Garett Whiteley, the Brazilian surprised his rival and won by technical knockout in the first round.
Nuguette, who was betting on victory in the ground game, found it difficult to take down the North American. But when Whiteley went on the attack in the exchange, the Brazilian launched a fair counterattack. With a left blow, Nuguette knocked his opponent down and with two more punches he ended the fight in just over three minutes of fighting.
Iliarde loses once again
The Paraense Iliarde Santos suffered his third consecutive defeat in the UFC and could have his situation within the event at risk. The Brazilian even started the fight well against Chris Cariaso, but ended up being overcome by his rival's sharp striking.
Iliarde had the best start when he blocked a shot from his rival and brought down the American. On top, he scored points and opened up an advantage. But the punishment came in the second round.
The Brazilian opened the game and looked for a frank exchange of blows. At this moment, Cariaso took advantage and showed that he had a sharper stand-up game. He landed a good straight shot, which left Iliarde dizzy. With a few more powerful punches and with Santos unable to defend himself, Chris Cariaso managed to end the fight at the end of the second round by technical knockout.
Check out the results of the UFC Barueri preliminary card below:
main card
Demian Maia vs. Jake Shields;
Erick silva vs. Dong Hyun Kim;
Thiago Silva vs. Matt Hamill;
Fábio Maldonado vs. Joey Beltran;
Rousimar Toquinho vs. Mike Pierce;
Raphael Assunção vs. TJ Dillashaw;
Preliminary Card
Igor Araújo defeated Ildemar Marajó in a unanimous decision by the judges;
Yan Cabral defeated David Mitchell via unanimous decision by the judges;
Chris Cariaso defeated Iliarde Santos by technical knockout in R2;
Alan Nuguette defeated Garett Whiteley via TKO in R1;
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