Marreta, Sapo and Lineker won on the preliminary card of UFC 183. Photo: Produção SUPER LUTAS (Disclosure/UFC)
The night started off very well for the legion of Brazilian fighters at UFC 183, in the city of Las Vegas, in the United States. Thiago Marreta, Rafael Sapo and John Lineker obtained important victories and guaranteed a positive balance for Brazilian fighters on the main card of the attraction, this Saturday (31).
See too
Marreta scored a dominant victory over Andy Enz in the opening fight of the night; already Rafael Sapo He was better than the Englishman Tom Watson and won the judges' decision. Finally, John Lineker overcame a difficult start to the fight against Ian McCall, but turned the game around and also won the scoring sheet.
For obvious reasons, the only Brazilian defeat on the preliminary card came in the duel between compatriots, between Ildemar Marajó and Rick Monster, won by the first. Diego Brandao, who would face Jimy Hettes in the third fight of the night, saw his fight canceled due to his rival's health problem.
Muppet starts the night with a run over Enz
The night couldn't have started better for the Brazilian UFC 183 squad. In the opening fight of the night, Thiago Marreta he didn't even need two minutes to dispatch Andy Enz and score his second UFC victory.
The fight started in a frank manner, with both athletes looking for striking. Marreta landed good blows, but ended up taking a right cross to the face and was shaken. Soon after, however, payback came: the Brazilian connected with a well-aimed kick to his rival's ribs and cornered him against the cage, firing a series of crosses that knocked him down. Marreta only had to complete the job on the ground, winning by technical knockout in 1min56s.
With this, Marreta now has two wins and two losses in the UFC. Enz is in a delicate situation, suffering his third defeat in three UFC appearances.
In a weak fight, Marajó overcomes Monstro in a split decision
Marajó (photo) won at UFC 183. Photo: Disclosure/UFC
The only 100% Brazilian clash of the night ended up disappointing the fans in the Las Vegas gym. Ildemar Marajó and Rick Monster They had a warm fight in the middleweight division, where little actually happened during the three rounds.
The fight was marked by a lot of study among the athletes, which disturbed the public at the venue and generated boos. In general, Marajó connected more blows in his striking, especially kicks, and managed at a certain point in the first round to spend a few moments in mount. Monstro, in turn, tried to respond by taking his rival to the ground, which he failed to do.
After three rounds of competition, Marajó won a split decision from the judges. It was his fourth victory in the UFC, against two defeats. Monstro suffered his second setback in two Ultimate fights and finds himself in a complicated situation.
Hettes feels sick in the locker room and the fight with Brandão is canceled
D. Brandão (photo) ended up not fighting at UFC 183. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
Just minutes before the start of UFC 183, the event in Las Vegas suffered a casualty. Jimy Hettes, who would face Diego Brandao In the third fight of the attraction, he fell ill in the changing rooms of the MGM Grand Garden Arena and was taken to the hospital, which led to the fight being cancelled.
The UFC didn't give many details about what actually happened to Hettes, but it is known that the American passed out. For Brandão, he had to deal with an unfortunate coincidence: it was the second time in less than a year that the Ceará native had a fight canceled at the last minute. In 2014, at UFC Natal, Brandão saw his opponent, Will Chope, being fired shortly after weighing in for the event.
Sapo dominates Watson and wins the decision
Rafael Sapo won his second consecutive victory in the UFC after dominating Tom Watson throughout practically the entire fight. A black belt in jiu-jitsu under Vinícius Draculino, the Minas Gerais native accepted the stand-up fight with the kickboxer, even getting the upper hand and landing the best blows.
Sapo showed fluidity in his game and mixed boxing combinations well, even shaking the Englishman on more than one occasion, with takedowns. At the end of the three rounds, Sapo won without any major scares – two 30 to 27 and one 30 to 26.
It was Sapo's seventh victory in the UFC, compared to four defeats and a draw. Watson is another in a delicate situation: he has four defeats, compared to just two victories in the octagon.
Lineker uses his boxing well and overcomes McCall
Lineker (photo) beat McCall in Las Vegas. Photo: Disclosure/UFC
John Lineker scored one of the biggest victories of his career against Ian McCall in the third-to-last fight on the UFC 183 preliminary card. Faced with a capable opponent, third placed in the flyweight division, the Paraná native suffered in the first round, but reacted in the final two thirds of the fight won by the judges' decision.
As soon as the fight started, the difference in posture between the two athletes was visible. While McCall abused his movement, Lineker played more “planted”, looking for hard blows as usual. The American managed a takedown in the first round and worked most of the time on top, although Lineker tried, unsuccessfully, for a heel submission.
From the second round onwards, however, the game changed. Smarter, Lineker was able to avoid McCall's takedown attempts and often cornered his opponent. The Brazilian then unleashed his game, especially with good combinations of punches to the abdomen and face. Despite struggling a few times, McCall managed to survive and the fight went to the judges' decision without much chance of surprise.
Despite the huge victory, Lineker is unlikely to reap the rewards of his achievement: as he did not make weight on Friday, the Brazilian will not be expected to fight for the flyweight belt, but rather move up to the bantamweight division. McCall saw a two-fight winning streak interrupted, leaving him at 2-3-1 in the UFC.
In a duel between Ronda's victims, Tate beats McMann in an electrifying fight
Tate (photo) beat McMann at UFC 183. Photo: Disclosure/UFC
Former challengers defeated by champion Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate e Sara McMann closed the preliminary card of UFC 183 in style. The athletes, protagonists of the only women's fight of the night, had a “back and forth” fight, won in the end by Tate in the judges' decision.
Olympic wrestling medalist, McMann started the fight with an advantage, applying hard blows in his striking and even getting a knockdown. Tate, however, managed to change the scenario of the fight from the second round onwards, dominating the actions especially on the ground.
With the crowd in the gym in his favor, Tate connected with good blows in the second round, which made McMann wobble. The wrestler tried to take the fight to the ground, but Tate immediately applied a guillotine choke and almost got the submission.
In the third round, McMann decided to take the fight to the ground. She got a nice takedown on Tate, but saw the position reversed and fell to the bottom. Tate worked well on top until the end of the fight, landing good elbows.
The judges announced Tate's victory by majority decision, as one scored a draw. “Cupcake” won his third straight victory, while McMann suffered his second setback in four fights in the UFC.
UFC 183 preliminary card results:
Miesha Tate derrotou Sara McMann by majority decision of the judges;
Derek Brunson defeated Ed Herman via TKO in R1;
John Lineker defeated Ian McCall by unanimous decision;
Rafael Sapo defeated Tom Watson by unanimous decision of the judges;
Diego Brandao x Jimy Hettes – Fight cancelled;
Ildemar Marajó defeated Rick Monster by split decision of the judges;
Thiago Marreta defeated Andy Enz via TKO in R1;
Comments