UFC 204: Iuri Marajó runs wild and shines on the preliminary card

Marajó shined on the preliminary card of UFC 204. Photo: Disclosure

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Iuri Marajó was the highlight of the UFC 204 preliminary card, an event held this Saturday (8), in Manchester, England. The Brazilian ran over Brad pickett and took an important step towards his return to the official UFC rankings in the bantamweight division.

The first fights of the event were quite busy. Of the six fights on the preliminary card, five of them were concluded by knockout or submission. The only exception was in the Tupiniquim duel of the night, between Leonardo Santos and Adriano Martins.

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The fight between the Brazilians was quite lukewarm, without any major highlights. Even so, victory for the champion of the second season of the reality show The Ultimate Fighter Brasil, who prevailed in the judges' split decision.

TUF champion wins Tupiniquim duel of the night

L. Santos got the better of A. Martins. Photo: Disclosure

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In the opening of UFC 204, Leonardo Santos got the better of Adriano Martins in the Brazilian duel of the night. The TUF Brazil 2 champion won the split decision from the judges.

The fight as a whole was quite tepid. In the first two rounds, there was a lot of study on the part of both athletes, who basically limited themselves to throwing kicks. Leonardo bothered him with blows to the body, while Adriano retaliated against his rival's legs.

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Towards the final phase of the fight, Martins began to hunt Santos in the octagon, including with good strikes with his hands. However, Leonardo avoided any risk thanks to good leg movement. Under boos from the fans, the TUF winner won.

With the result, Leonardo maintained his unbeaten record in the UFC – he now has five wins and one draw. In the post-fight interview, the fighter showed his desire to face Michael chiesa, seventh place in the category ranking. Martins, in turn, suffered just his second defeat in six fights in the UFC.

Marajó massacres Pickett and submits in the first round

In the last fight of the preliminary card, Iuri Marajó didn't give chances Brad pickett and delivered a real crush in the Octagon. The Brazilian prevailed on the feet and finished the job on the ground in the first round, putting on one of his best performances in the UFC.

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Marajó was aggressive from the beginning of the actions and punished the Englishman with kicks and knees. Early in the fight, the Brazilian landed a spinning elbow, followed up with punches and knocked Pickett down. On the ground, Marajó continued to punish his rival, but the referee did not interrupt. Iuri then secured a triangle from the mount, switched to an armbar, returned to the triangle and won the victory with less than two minutes of action.

Thus, Marajó recovers from the defeat suffered by Jimmie rivera in his last fight. Pickett, who had beaten Francisco Rivera in his last appearance, suffered a negative result again.