Holloway knocked out Aldo and won the linear belt (Photo: Facebook /UFC)
The second reign of José Aldo in the featherweight category. After two and a half closely contested rounds with a slight advantage for the manauara, the Brazilian lost the belt after being knocked out by Max Holloway in the main fight of UFC 212, held in the early hours of this Sunday (04), in Rio de Janeiro.
As a bonus, the Hawaiian ended Aldo's unbeaten run by fighting 'at home' in Ultimate. Previously, he had won three fights in Rio de Janeiro, all in title defenses. The Brazilian, who chose not to give an interview in the octagon, left crying profusely after the setback.
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With the victory, Holloway assumes the position of lineal champion of the under-66kg division. Aldo, in turn, was left with an undefined future in the category.
The fight
The duel started with the two studying each other in the center of the octagon, without much effectiveness. Holloway was the first to take the initiative in the fight, but without force. Patient, Aldo remained focused and did not attack the Hawaiian. However, the Brazilian surprised and connected a sequence of blows, which shook Max. Aldo went up and landed a good knee on his rival's face, raising the crowd in the arena. The two started to enjoy the fight and tried some striking, with the Brazilian having the advantage. In the final seconds, Holloway still landed a good round shot to the waistline.
Aldo returned to the second stage trying to put pressure on his rival, who responded with counterattacks. Max, little by little, began to loosen up in the fight, connecting some combinations. The Brazilian, however, did not give up and retaliated forcefully, to the delight of the public. Halfway through the round, Holloway landed a powerful left cross, which caught the Brazilian squarely. Holloway found the distance and started to press, taking advantage in the exchange. In the final seconds, the two started to exchange franks, but the round came to an end.
Holloway started the third round hunting down Aldo in the octagon. The Hawaiian landed hard blows on the Brazilian, who responded in kind. The fight began to be fought at close range, with both adopting aggressive stances. Holloway, however, landed a strong right on the Brazilian's chin, who fell. The Hawaiian went all out trying to settle the bill, while the Brazilian just survived. From above, Max started to punish the Brazilian with many blows, forcing the referee to interrupt the duel.
Flawless, Claudinha Gadelha submits Kowalkiewicz in the first round
Claudia gadelha showed his entire repertoire on the feet and on the ground to overcome Karolina Kowalkiewicz in the second most important fight of the show. The Brazilian surprised by being superior on her feet, especially in the clinch, when she landed good elbows, which stunned Karolina. With the victory, Gadelha remains in first place in the strawweight rankings. After the fight, she admitted that the change of camp was essential for the excellent result.
“I don’t think we can expect different results by doing the same thing. I made a point of challenging myself, it was very difficult to leave my country, but I did it and reaped the results. I'm not thinking about new fights at the moment. I want to move to Albuquerque (USA) for good and buy a nice car and a nice dog. This is my life now”, joked the number one strawweight, now more than ever.“, commented Claudia, who also avoided challenging the current strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk, for those who have already lost twice.
Kowalkiewicz, aggressive and technical, grew briefly at the beginning of the fight, but as soon as she sensed danger, Gadelha grabbed her and took her down. On the ground, the Brazilian took advantage of all her technical advantage in jiu-jitsu and induced the Polish woman to turn her back on her. The first hook was placed calmly and, while Karolina avoided the lock on the belly, Claudinha managed a tight rear-naked choke, forcing Kowalkiewicz to tap.
UFC 212
MAIN CARD
Feather weight: Max Holloway derrotou José Aldo by technical knockout at 4m13s of R3
Straw weight: Claudia gadelha derrotou Karolina Kowalkiewicz via submission (rear naked choke) at 3m03s of R1
Average weight: Vitor belfort defeated Nate Marquardt via unanimous decision (29×28, 29×28, 29×28)
Average weight: Paulo borrachinha defeated Oluwale Bamgbose by technical knockout 1m06 of R2
Welterweight: Yancy Medeiros defeated Erick silva by technical knockout at 2m02s R2
PRELIMINARY CARD
Bantamweight: Raphael Assunção derrotou Marlon moraes in the judges' split decision (29×28, 28×29, 30×27).
Average weight: Antônio Shoe Face submitted Eric Spicely with a rear naked choke at 3m49s of R1
Bantamweight: Mathew Lopez defeated Johnny Eduardo by technical knockout at 2:57 of R1
Bantamweight: brian kelleher finished Iuri Marajó with a guillotine 1m48s from R1;
Straw weight: Viviane Sucuri defeated Jamie Moyle by unanimous decision of the judges (30×27, 30×27, 29×28)
Welterweight Weight: Luan chagas defeated Jim Wallhead via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:48 of R2
Bantamweight: Deiveson Figueiredo defeated Marco Beltrán by technical knockout at 5m of R2
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