UFC Tampa: Bethe Correia loses a close decision on the preliminary card

Pennington got the better of Bethe (right) at UFC Tampa. Photo: Disclosure

Pennington got the better of Bethe (right) in the UFC Tampa. Photo: Disclosure

Without fighting since he lost to Ronda Rousey in August last year, the former title challenger Bethe Correia She was defeated again inside the octagon on Saturday night (16), on the preliminary card of UFC on FOX 19, held in the city of Tampa, in the United States.

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The Brazilian had a close duel with Rachel Pennington for three rounds, but, after 15 minutes of action, the judges decided the victory in favor of the North American fighter.

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Even so, the balance of the preliminary card in Tampa was positive for the Brazilian fighters. With the rope around his neck, Cezar Mutant achieved an important victory against Oluwale Bamgbose in the second fight of the night, and Elizeu Capoeira knocked out Omari Akhmedov at the opening of the event.

Other highlights from the first fights of the night were John Dodson, who returned to bantamweight with a stunning victory, and Santiago Ponzinibbio, who massacred the winner of TUF 11, Court mcgee.

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Check out how the preliminary card went:

Capoeira knocks out in busy fight

In the first fight of the night, Elizeu Capoeira won an important victory over Omari Akhmedov in a very busy duel in the Octagon in Tampa. In the first round, the dispute ended on the ground, with falls from the Russian, an attempt at a capoeira heel hook and a fight from Akhmedov, who almost finished with a kimura.

From the second round onwards, however, the Brazilian managed to defend the takedowns and impose his game on the feet. In the third round, Capoeira applied good blows to the Russian, who, despite clearly feeling it, remained standing in an attempt to retaliate. Towards the end of regulation time, Capoeira surrounded Akhmedov on the fence, landed good knees and forced the referee to stop, even though the Russian remained bravely on his feet.

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Mutant survives punishment and defeats Bamgbose

Mutante used the ground to hit Bamgbose. Photo: Disclosure

Highly pressured by his three defeats in his last four fights, Cezar Mutant recovered and won again in the UFC Tampa. However, to beat Oluwale Bamgbose, the Brazilian had to survive punishment and a bloodbath in the octagon.

In the first round, Mutante had a more cautious stance than usual, but still attacked frequently. At one point, Bamgbose took advantage of a gap in the Brazilian's guard and connected with a well-aimed cross, which earned him the knockdown. The American of Nigerian descent attacked, but Mutante survived.

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From then on, despite bleeding profusely from his nose and head, Mutante controlled the fight with takedowns and ground and pound, while Bamgbose was tired. That's how the Brazilian won the unanimous decision of the judges.

Dodson returns to bantamweight with lightning knockout

Two-time UFC flyweight title challenger, John Dodson returned to bantamweight in style in Tampa. The “Magician” scored a lightning knockout over Manny Gamburyan, settling the bill in just 47 seconds.

After a few seconds of study and timid blows, Dodson went up and delivered two straight lefts, which knocked Gamburyan down. While the Armenian tried to get up, Dodson wasted no time and connected several uppers, which forced the referee to stop the actions.

Ponzinibbio takes down TUF 11 champion

Veteran of TUF Brazil 2, the Argentine Santiago Ponzinibbio had a great performance at UFC on FOX 19. Against the TUF 11 champion, Court mcgee, the “Argentino Gente Boa” controlled his rival’s momentum and won by technical knockout.

In the opening seconds, McGee attacked Santiago, discarding his opponent's study. However, at all times Ponzinibbio managed to impose his game, both with strikes and movement. Still in the first round, the North American attempted a takedown, but the Argentine defended and took advantage of the gap with a well-aimed right hand. McGee fell and tried to defend himself, but Santiago was intense and got the technical knockout

Bethe has a tight duel with Pennington, but loses

The women's duel on the preliminary card began full of study on the part of both. Pennington tried to attack from long distance, but Bethe bothered her with counterattacks. The fight finally got into the expected rhythm in the second round, when the athletes showed more aggression.

The trend of the fight remained the same: Pennington trying to take advantage of the greater reach or the clinch, while Bethe connected crosses in response. After 15 minutes of action, all of which took place on the feet, Pennington convinced the judges that he had the better of the fight, winning by split decision.