L. Rockhold (photo) did not overcome the defeat to Belfort in Jaraguá. Photo: Esther Lin/Strikeforce
the american Luke Rockhold He arrived in the UFC with prestige, as the last champion of the now extinct Strikeforce. However, in his first fight in the new organization, Luke was ruthlessly knocked out by the Brazilian Vitor belfort, with a high kick that competes for the best knockout of the year award, in Jaraguá do Sul (SC). This Wednesday (15), in the main fight of UFC Fight Night 35, Rockhold recovered from the setback by beating Costa Philippou, but he did not forget his last setback and asked for a rematch against Belfort, now in the United States.
The victory of Luke Rockhold It was quick, but the fighters started the fight studying each other and just feinting their attacks. It took more than a minute for the first connected blow to appear. Shortly after, Rockhold landed a good combination, which shook the Cypriot. The North American then landed a few blows on his opponent's waistline and finished the fight, in less than three minutes, with a powerful kick, which made Philippou fall, practically abandoning the fight.
With the victory, Rockhold now has eleven wins and just two losses as a professional. Even with the desire to face Belfort, the American, currently sixth in the middleweight category ranking, finds himself in a very different situation from his rival, as Belfort is just awaiting confirmation of the date of his title fight against Chris Weidman. With that in mind, Rockhold said, during the interview in the octagon, that he is also considering a duel against other athletes in the division, such as the British Michael Bisping.
In a warm fight, Brad Tavares wins Lorenz Larkin
In the confrontation between two middleweights who had only lost one fight each in their careers, Lorenz Larkin suffered his second setback, when he was defeated by Brad Tavares. Tavares now has 12 wins and just one loss as a professional, while Larkin has a record of 14 wins, two losses and one fight without result.
The athletes had a first round of little action and a lot of study on both sides. At the beginning of the second round, Larkin loosened up his game a little more and applied a good sequence to Tavares. The opponent's good momentum did not intimidate Brad, who dominated the rest of the round. The TUF 11 participant also remained superior in the third round and well absorbed the sequence of elbows applied by his opponent shortly before the end of the fight.
TJ Dillashaw dominates the fight and doesn't give Mike Easton a chance
Seeking to recover from defeat to Raphael Assunção at UFC Barueri, TJ Dillashaw went all out against Mike Easton. After well absorbing a kick to the ribs from his opponent, Dillashaw dominated the final stretch of the first round and managed to connect good combinations of blows.
Right from the start of the second round, the two fighters started to engage in frank exchanges. After landing a powerful high kick on Easton, T. J Dillashaw fell on top of his opponent and worked the ball well. ground and pound. Lost from then on, Mike Easton did little to react to his opponent's attacks for the remainder of the round.
In the final round, despite Mike Easton's attempt in the final minute, Dillashaw again controlled the actions and secured the advantage acquired in the previous rounds. At the end of the fight, TJ Dillashaw was declared the winner by unanimous decision of the judges.
With a searing sequence of elbows, Romero passes Brunson
Even though it's a duel between one wrestler of a very high level and a black belt in jiu-jitsu, the fight between the Cuban Yoel romero and the North American Derek Brunson It took place, for the most part, standing up. The athletes performed moments of extreme aesthetic appeal, such as when Romero remained without touching the ground for a few seconds, remaining in the air while holding his rival in an armbar.
In the second round, the Cuban, who is an Olympic medalist, absorbed Brunson's blows well and, when trying to counterattack, landed a rare blow on his opponent, a punch to the genital region. After the incident, Romero loosened up even more in the fight and started fighting with his guard down.
With two rounds down, Romero went in search of a knockout or a submission, but did not accelerate the pace of the fight. Using his good boxing game, the Cuban landed good blows and took Brunson to the ground. On top, Yoel finished the fight with a sequence of at least ten elbows to his opponent's waistline.
Moraga gets scared, but beats Dustin Ortiz
Almost six months after being defeated by Demetrious Johnson in the flyweight title fight, John Moraga returned to the octagon against Dustin Ortiz. The former challenger did not have an easy time in the first round and remained below his opponent for almost the entire first round.
In the second round, Moraga came back more attentive and managed to connect good blows on Ortiz, who ended up falling alone while retreating. On the ground, Moraga approached a choke submission, but Dustin defended very well and survived the fight.
The pace of the confrontation dropped in the third round and, more tired, the athletes focused more on grappling. In the final stretch, Dustin Ortiz still tried to attack and managed to take his opponent to the ground. The initiative, however, was not enough to convince the side referees, who gave victory, by split decision, to John Moraga.
Cole Miller complete Sam Sicilia and challenges Donald Cerrone
In the fight that opened the main card, Cole Miller e Sam Sicilia they dueled in the featherweight category. In the opening minutes, Miller took advantage of his large wingspan advantage and controlled his opponent's distance. With no initiative on both sides, the opening five minutes passed with virtually no action.
In the second round, Miller attacked his opponent and got a knockdown after hitting the opponent with a relentless right. With Sicilia already injured and on the ground, the athlete from American Top Team worked the ground and pound, he took his opponent's back and finished the fight with a tight rear naked choke, achieving his second consecutive victory in Ultimate.
After victory, Cole Miller gave a long interview to Jon Anik, official Ultimate commentator. In his words, the North American drew attention when he challenged the lightweight Donald Cerrone, who recently declared his interest in moving down the division. According to Miller, facing Cerrone is a big wish and he even offered to pay for the services of renowned nutritionist Mike Dolce to his rival in weight cutting.
Check out all the results from the UFC Fight Night 35 main card below:
Luke Rockhold beat Costa Phillipou by technical knockout in R1;
Brad Tavares beat Lorenz Larkin by unanimous decision of the judges;
TJ Dillashaw beat Mike Easton via unanimous decision;
Yoel romero won Derek Brunson by technical knockout in R3;
John Moraga beat Dustin Ortiz via split decision;
Cole Miller won Sam Sicilia by submission in R2.
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