Summary
Jaqueline lost to Inoue in the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/UFC
Brazil got off to a bad start on its journey in UFC 321. This Saturday (25), in Abu Dhabi (UAE), Jacqueline Amorim, classified by bookmakers as the favorite to win, was surprised by Mizuki Inoue in the opening fight of the event. In the strawweight division (up to 52,2 kg), the Brazilian lost to the Japanese via unanimous decision.
With the result, Jaqueline, a jiu-jitsu specialist, saw her four-fight winning streak come to an end, slowing her growth in the UFC. As a result, the athlete fell out of the top 15 in her division. Meanwhile, Inoue won his second consecutive fight, this time convincingly in the octagon.
Brazilian gets tired and is punished
The fight started with a lively stand-up routine. More aggressive, Mizuki landed the best strikes. Calmly, Amorim managed to take the Japanese fighter to the ground and took her back. A jiu-jitsu specialist, the Brazilian nearly applied a rear-naked choke. However, Amorim lost the position, found herself on the bottom, receiving punches from her opponent, and nearly ended up knocked out.
In the second round, Mizuki continued to press on her feet. Amorim attempted a takedown but was unsuccessful. Surprisingly, the Japanese fighter took her opponent down. The Brazilian quickly reached for Mizuki's leg and got on top, but was unable to control her. Uncomfortable on her feet, Amorim pulled the Japanese fighter into guard, but took more strikes than she delivered.
In the third and final round, Amorim sought an early takedown but was unsuccessful. Alert, Mizuki defended herself and, standing, landed punches and knees on the Brazilian, who fell. Visibly tired, Amorim refused to give up, but the Japanese fighter was sharp in her striking. Unsuccessful in her takedown attempts, the Brazilian got the worst of it in the exchanges with Mizuki.
Egyptian heavyweight dominates Chris Barnett
Hamdy Abdelwahab in victory against Chris Barnett. Photo: Reproduction/X.
In the first heavyweight bout of the night, Hamdy Abdelwahab took no notice of Chris Barnett and won by unanimous decision after dominating the American with a strong takedown game against the fence and effective strikes from above. With the result, the first Egyptian fighter in the history of the Ultimate Team recovered from his loss to Mohammed Usman and achieved his second triumph in the organization.
The Egyptian went on the attack and took his opponent to the ground in the opening seconds of the fight. With a strong chain wrestling game, Abdelwahab took Barnett down on several occasions and came close to ending the fight by TKO on several occasions. In one of these moments, the American was hit by an illegal elbow to the back of the head. Referee Marc Goddard stopped the action and immediately docked the Egyptian a point.
The Olympic wrestler managed to repeat this strategy over the next two rounds. With several takedowns against the fence, the Egyptian built a large lead and, at the end of the 15-minute fight, was declared the winner. Two judges scored it 29-27, and another 29-26.
Mitch Raposo wins in the second fight of the event
Mitch Raposo in victory in UFC 321. Photo: Reproduction/X.
In a duel valid for the flyweights (up to 56,7 kg), Mitch Raposo won Azat Maksum in the second fight of the preliminary card of UFC 321 by unanimous decision after a very eventful fight. With the result, the American broke a streak of two consecutive losses while the Kazakh suffered his second consecutive defeat, in addition to failing to make weight for the category on Friday (24).
Raposo adopted an aggressive stance from the start of the fight, dominating the center of the Octagon and attacking with powerful cross-punch combinations, while the Kazakh fighter sought to feint and study his opponent. Maksum managed to take the American to the ground with wide-ranging takedowns and pin him against the cage during the final part of the first round.
The fight continued in the same fashion in the following rounds. While the two fought standing, Raposo managed to force his opponent back with powerful punches to the head and waistline. Meanwhile, Maksum brilliantly slowed the American's momentum with excellent takedowns and effective control against the fence.
However, a specific moment changed the course of the fight in the third round. In the final moments, the Kazakh committed a foul by grabbing the fence and using the support to change position. Referee Rich Mitchell quickly stopped the action and deducted a point from Maksum. With the fight over, all judges scored the fight in favor of Raposo.
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