UFC 212: Brazilians shine in busy preliminary card

Sapato submitted Eric on the preliminary card (Photo: Facebook /UFC)

Brazilian fighters came away with a positive result from the preliminary card of UFC 212, held this Saturday night (03), in Rio de Janeiro. Of the first seven fights of the night, four were won by the home athletes, highlighting the performances of Deiveson Alcântara, Luan Chagas and Antonio Shoe Guy. Viviane Sucuri had a discreet performance, but also won.

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Deiveson opened the card by knocking out Marco Beltrán, while Luan and Sapato submitted Jim Wallhead and Eric Spicely, respectively. The bantamweights Iuri Marajó e Johnny Eduardo were defeated by brian kelleher and Matthew Lopez. The show also featured a 100% Brazilian duel, with Raphael Assunção overcoming Marlon moraes by split decision.

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Raphael Assunção beats Marlon Moraes in a balanced duel

In the duel that closed the preliminary card, Raphael Assunção got the better of the newcomer Marlon moraes by split decision of the judges (29×28, 28×29, 29×28). After three balanced rounds, Raphael won the second consecutive round and is once again close to a title fight. Marlon, in turn, loses an unbeaten streak that had already lasted five rounds – 13 fights.

The fight began with the two studious fighters, throwing few blows. Marlon started to invest in low kicks, while Raphael tried to fit combinations of punches. Assunção connected with a kick to the waistline of Moraes, who responded with a left cross. The two remained cautious, with Marlon taking more of the initiative. Assunção tried to apply a takedown, but was unsuccessful. In the final minute, Assunção landed good blows on his compatriot, who felt it.

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Assunção returned to the second stage looking for more actions, while Marlon tried to respond with counterattacks. The duel started to be played at a slower pace, with both players studying, provoking some boos from the public. Marlon tried a nice round kick to his rival's head, who managed to defend himself well. The fight remained at a steady pace until the end of the round.

The decisive stage began in a similar way, with a lot of study by both. Raphael, however, had the advantage when he landed a strong left cross, which rocked Marlon. Assunção started to move more and look for the fight, while Moraes responded with straight jabs. The newcomer started landing good shots on Raphael, who retaliated in kind. In the final minute, Marlon tried to take him down, but Assunção hit the ground and got back on his feet. In the final seconds, Marlon called out his rival for a frank exchange, but the duel came to an end.

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Cara de Sapato submits Eric Spicely and wins the third in a row

Considered one of the main Brazilian promises in the UFC, the middleweight Antonio Shoe Guy confirmed his good form by submitting Eric Spicely at 3:49 of the second round. This was Sapato's third consecutive triumph in Ultimate, with five wins, two defeats and one contest in the organization. Spicely, in turn, lost his second in four fights in the franchise.

After the victory, the Brazilian asked to face the winner of Derek Brunson and Dan Kelly, who face each other next weekend at UFC New Zealand.

Sapato started the fight surrounding Spicelu in the octagon, but was surprised with a takedown in the first minute. With the fight on the ground, the two were tangled up with little action, much to the disapproval of the public, who began to boo the fight. After a few minutes on the ground, the fight returned to standing, but for a short time, as the Brazilian fell and took it to the ground again. On the North American's back, Sapato tried to lock in the rear naked choke, but didn't have time to work.

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Eric came back for the second round trying to get a takedown early on, but Sapato defended well and fell on top. The two returned to the same position as in the first round, but Shoe Face he swept it and went to his rival's back again. Spicely managed to get out of position and stayed in half guard, while the TUF Brazil 3 champion fought the duel on the ground, on top. However, Shoe Face, again, managed to go to the back. After Eric tried to get up, the Brazilian took advantage of his rival's hesitation and used a rear naked choke, getting three taps from his rival.

Mathew Lopez runs over and knocks out Johnny Eduardo

Fighting 'at home', the bantamweight Johnny Eduardo He was no match for Mathew Lopez's game and was knocked out at 2:57 of the first half, leaving the arena in complete silence. With the defeat, the Brazilian suffered his third negative result in six fights in the Ultimate, while he won the second in a row after debuting being submitted by Rani Yaya.

The two fighters started studying each other a lot, with little action in the center of the Octagon. After the first minute of little action, Eduardo started connecting good blows on Lopez, who responded by taking the Brazilian to the ground. From below, Johnny swept quickly and tried to fit the footlock. However, the North American defended himself well and came out on top, firing a strong sequence of blows at the Brazilian, forcing Mario Yamasaki to stop the fight and declare Lopez's victory.

Brian Kelleher surprises and submits Marajó in the first round

The first Brazilian defeat of the night was at bantamweight Iuri Marajó, who was surprised by the debutant brian kelleher and finished in the first round. At 36 years old, the man from Pará lost for the fifth time in the organization – he has nine victories and one fight without result.

Marajó started the fight aggressively, landing good blows on Kelleher, who felt it. However, when attempting a takedown, the Brazilian was surprised by Brian, who quickly grabbed the guillotine choke. Marajó still tried to resist, but gave up.

In a warm fight, Viviane Sucuri defeats Jamie Moyle on points

In the only women's fight in the preliminary round, best for Viviane Sucuri, who defeated Jamie Moyle by unanimous decision from the judges (30×27, 30×27 and 29×28). This was the Brazilian strawweight's second victory in two fights in the organization, while Moyle lost his first, after winning his debut last December.

The fight started with a lot of study and little action, with both women pushing hard in the clinch. The lack of effectiveness of the two fighters displeased the audience present in the arena, who began to boo some. In the final minute, Sucuri started to look for more action and connected good blows on Moyle, who absorbed it well. The Brazilian even attempted a blitz in the final stretch, but the final bell sounded.

The second round returned in a similar way to the first: a lot of study, little action and boos from the public for the fighters. After more than three minutes without any effectiveness on both sides, Sucuri landed good blows on Jamie, but stopped there. In the final minute, Viviane caught her rival's kick time and held Moyle's leg with her left hand, countering with a straight right. The blow knocked Moyle down, but Sucuri was unable to take advantage of the good moment.

Sucuri started the third stage more aggressively, trying to put pressure on the North American. But the Brazilian's aggressiveness lasted just a few minutes, and the fight returned to a slow pace until the end of the fight.

Luan Chagas submits Wallhead and wins his first in Ultimate

Welterweight Luan Chagas finally won a fight in the UFC. After debuting in a draw with Serginho Moraes and be completed by Erick silva In his second fight, the 23-year-old had a confident performance and shook off his bad form by submitting Jim Wallhead at 4:48 of the second round. This was the 15th victory of 'Tarzan's' career, who still has two defeats and a draw on his record. The Englishman accumulated his second setback in two fights in the franchise (29-10 overall).

The fight started with Wallhead more aggressive, looking for striking. Luan, in turn, tried to surprise with some counterattack. More cautious, the Brazilian continued dosing the gas and waiting for his rival to attack. After a few moments of study, Chagas connected with a strong left cross on Jim, which he felt. Luan tried to take advantage of the good moment and began to press, but Wallhead managed to recover. In the final minute of the round, Luan took another shot directly at the Englishman, who went backwards.

'Tarzan' returned for the second stage with a different stance, controlling the actions more. Aggressive, he punished the Englishman's face with jabs. After a few moments without much action, Luan accidentally hit Jim in the eye, forcing the referee to stop the fight. Less than a minute later, the duel resumed with the two in the center of the octagon, both looking to strike. With less than 30 seconds left in the second half, Luan landed a strong left cross on Wallhead, who fell. Luan went to the ground and took the Englishman's back, quickly locking in the rear-naked choke, forcing Wallhead to give up three taps.

Deiveson Alcântara debuts with knockout over Marco Beltrán

In the first fight of the night, bantamweight Deiveson Alcântara made his UFC debut on the right foot. With a confident performance, the man from Pará maintained his perfect record by knocking out Marcos Beltrán at the end of the second round. Now, Deiveson has 12 wins in 12 fights as a professional, the eighth by knockout. Beltrán, in turn, lost for the second consecutive time in Ultimate, after having won three consecutive victories.

Deivison started the fight looking to surround his opponent in the octagon, throwing some leg kicks. The Brazilian didn't take long and landed a good takedown, landing in Beltrán's guard. After a few moments of little action, Alcântara swept and looked for the guillotine, but Marco managed to escape and came out on top. The Mexican started to hit Deiveson, but without much force.

Marco returned more aggressively for the second stage, throwing some blows at the Brazilian, who surprised him and took him down again. On top, Deiveson was unable to take advantage of the situation and remained standing, without letting his rival get up. Taking advantage of an opening from Beltrán, Deiveson went back on top, took his back and locked in a rear-naked choke, but Marco, once again, managed to escape. Alcântara then tried the pear key, again without success. In the final minute, Alcântara delivered a strong blow to Marco, which resulted in a knockdown. Alcântara went up trying to end the fight, but the timer ran to zero, forcing the central referee to interrupt the sequence of blows. Both fighters' horns came up in the octagon, but the referee assessed the Mexican's condition and declared the fight over, thus confirming Deiveson's victory by technical knockout.