Barão (right) was overcome by Sterling (left) (Photo: Twitter UFC)
It was not this time that the bad phase of Renan Barao has come to an end. With a rather apathetic performance, without presenting any danger to his opponent, the former bantamweight champion, who performed at catchweight (63,5kg), was easily overcome by aljamain sterling, who emerged victorious in the judges' unanimous decision (29×28, 29×27, 30×26), in a duel that made up the preliminary card of UFC 214, held this Saturday (29), in Anaheim (USA).
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This was Barão's third defeat in the last four fights, as he has not managed to achieve a sequence of victories since 2014. In total, there are nine triumphs and four setbacks in Ultimate. Sterling, on the other hand, has his second victory in a row, after beating Augusto Tanquinho, in April this year. It is worth mentioning that Barão is the fourth Brazilian defeated by Aljamain, who had also won, in addition to Tanquinho, Hugo Wolverine e Johnny Eduardo.
The fight
Sterling started by releasing a high kick, but it didn't hit the target. Barão tried to respond with a round kick to the waist, also without success. The American tried another high kick, but was knocked down. However, Sterling fell with Barão's leg 'looped', but the Brazilian managed to free himself from the position and went to guard. On top, Barão tried to work with elbows, but Aljamain defended himself well. The fight remained warm until the bell sounded.
Sterling returned, landing a good shot on the belt line, but Barão responded with a strong kick to the American's legs, who fell. Aljamain got back on his feet and took the Brazilian to the fence. There, he fell and went to the back, trying to get the rear naked choke. Barão, in turn, stopped his rival's actions, leaving the fight very monotonous, to the disapproval of the audience present. Barão tried to free himself from the position, but Sterling didn't let him breathe, falling on top again, pressured until the bell sounded.
Even though he was aware of his disadvantage in the previous round, Barão returned without putting pressure on his rival, and was surprised by a strong right blow, which rocked the Brazilian. Sterling tried, once again, to take the fight to the ground, but the fight was blocked on the cage, forcing the central referee to interrupt and place both fighters in the center of the octagon. The scenario, however, repeated itself: Sterling continued to look for the fight, while Barão, visibly more tired, did little to respond. In the final minute, the former bantamweight champion still managed a takedown, but he didn't have time to work.
Ricardo Lamas gives a convincing performance and knocks out Jason Knight
Lamas knocked out Knight in the first round (Photo: Reproduction/Twitter UFCl)
Ricardo Lamas showed why he is number 3 in the UFC featherweight rankings. With a convincing performance, the former category challenger gave young Jason Knight no chance, settling the score via technical knockout at 4:34 of the first round. This is the second victory in a row for Lamas, who had submitted the Brazilian Charles of the Bronx in November 2016. Knight, in turn, broke a streak of four consecutive victories, suffering his second defeat in six fights in Ultimate.
In a very busy fight, Brian Ortega submits Renato Moicano
Ortega (left) submitted Moicano (right) (Reproduction/Twitter UFC)
In the only undefeated duel of the night, better for Brian ortega, which ended Renato Moicano at 2:59 of R3 and imposed the first defeat of the Brazilian's career. The duel, however, was quite busy, with both fighters having good moments during the fight. Moicano had a streak of three good results broken. At 28 years old, the Brasilia native has a record with 11 wins, one setback and one draw. Ortega, in turn, won his fourth in a row in the UFC, all via the fast track. Interestingly, Moicano was the third Brazilian victim of Ortega, who had already knocked out Thiago tavares and finished Diego Brandao.
The fight began with the two studying each other in the center of the octagon, but it was Ortega who took the first initiative, unleashing a right cross. The Brazilian responded in kind, followed by a good left jab. Ortega continued to surround Renato, who was trying to surprise with a counterattack. In the final minute, the two rehearsed a frank exchange, but did not follow through. There was still time for Brian to try an ineffective flying knee.
Moicano returned more active for the second stage, connecting with a good high kick on his rival, which he claimed was meaningless. The Brazilian landed a good sequence of blows on Ortega, alternating between torso and head. Moicano grew in combat and started landing more blows on Brian, who was unable to fight back. With good lateral movement, Renato continued to be more forceful, but was surprised by a strong cross from Ortega, who started to be more aggressive. With less than 15 seconds left, Moicano managed a providential takedown, ending the round on top of the American.
The two returned to the decisive stage looking for striking. Ortega landed a good blow on the Brazilian's waistline, who closed up and retreated. Moicano landed a good jab on Brian, but there was no follow-up. Renato, once again, landed a good combination of blows and tried to surprise with a takedown, but fell into the American's guard. Without wasting time, Ortega applied the guillotine choke and forced the Brazilian to tap three times to give up.
Calvin Kattar surprises and debuts with triumph over Andre Fili
Kattar (left) beat favorite Fili (right) (Photo: Reproduction/Twitter UFC)
Scheduled for the event just 14 days ago, the newcomer Calvin kattar surprised by imposing himself in front of André Fili, a promise from Team Alpha Male, and achieve his first victory in Ultimate. With a confident and dominant performance, Kattar gave Fili no chance and won by unanimous decision from the judges (triple 30×27). This was the 17th of Calvin's career, which also has two setbacks. Touchy, on the other hand, continues to alternate victories and defeats in the UFC. In eight fights, there are four positive results and four negative results, all interspersed.
Aleksandra Albu overcomes Kailin Curran in lively fight
Without fighting since April 2015, strawweight Aleksandra Albu didn't feel the lack of rhythm against Kailin Curran. In a busy fight, the Russian defeated the North American in a unanimous decision by the judges (triple 29×28), reaching her second triumph in Ultimate, the third in three fights as an MMA professional. Curran is in a complicated situation in the company, as this was his third consecutive defeat, the fifth in six fights. In total, her cartel has four positive results and five negative results.
Jarred Brooks debuts in UFC with victory over Eric Shelton
Brooks (left) debuted with victory over Shelton (right) (Photo: Reproduction/Twitter UFC)
The first of the three newcomers of the night, flyweight Jarred Brooks started his UFC journey on the right foot. After 15 hard-fought minutes, the debutante overcame Eric Shelton in a split decision from the judges (29×28, 28×29, 29×28), resulting in him maintaining his record with 100% success, now with 13 victories. Shelton, in turn, lost his second in a row in the organization – he debuted in January this year, when he was defeated by the Brazilian Alexandre pantoja.
Drew Dober delivers brutal knockout to Josh Burkman
In the first fight of the night, the young man Drew dober did not take notice of veteran Josh Burkman, in a duel valid for the lightweight division. Walking forward and cornering his opponent from the start, Dober secured his victory with a brutal knockout at 3:04 of the first round. This was Drew's fourth victory in the UFC, as he is recovering from a setback suffered in his last fight. Burkman, in turn, suffered his fourth consecutive defeat, the sixth in the last seven fights, and is at serious risk of being fired.
MAIN CARD
Light Heavyweight: Jon Jones derrotou Daniel Cormier by technical knockout at 3:10 of R3
Welterweight Weight: Tyron woodley won Demian Maia by unanimous decision (50×45, 2x 49-46)
Feather weight: Chris Cyborg defeated Tonya Evinger by technical knockout at 1:53 of R3
Welterweight Weight: Robbie Lawler derrotou Donald Cerrone by decision of the judges (29×28, 29×28, 29×28)
Light Heavyweight: Volkan oezdemir defeated Jimi Manuwa by technical knockout at 42 seconds of R1
PRELIMINARY CARD
Featherweight: Ricardo Lamas defeated Jason Knight by TKO at 4:34 of R1
Married weight (63,5kg): aljamain sterling derrotou Renan Barao by unanimous decision of the judges (29×28, 29×27, 30×26)
Feather weight: Brian ortega derrotou Renato Moicano by submission (guillotine) at 2m59s of R3
Feather weight: Calvin kattar derrotou André Fili by unanimous decision of the judges (30×27, 30×27, 30×27)
Strawweight: Alexandra Albu defeated Kailin Curran by unanimous decision (29×28, 29×28, 29×28)
Flyweight: Jarred Brooks defeated Eric Shelton via split decision (29×28, 28×29, 29×28)
Lightweight: Drew dober defeated Josh Burkman by knockout at 3:04 of R1
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