M. Holloway (right) defeated Aldo (left) in the rematch (Photo: Reproduction Twitter UFC_CA)
It looked like a repeat movie! Max Holloway followed the recipe from the first clash and defeated again José Aldo at UFC 218, an event held in the early hours of this Sunday (03), in Detroit (USA). The Hawaiian, as in the first duel, had a balanced start to the fight, but with a greater volume of blows, wearing down the Brazilian and achieving victory by technical knockout in the third round. The result marked Holloway's 12th consecutive victory and his first title defense. On the other hand, the man from Manaus wasted the chance to regain the Ultimate title and for the first time suffered two defeats in a series in his career.
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“With all due respect, Aldo is a great champion, but I said it was time for something new. I knew he was getting tired, I tried to take him to the depths, where we know he can't swim. This is a rivalry, Brazil x Hawaii, my friend Yancy Medeiros and I beat the Brazilians today, and in surfing we will also win with John John Florence”, says Holloway still in the cage.
The fight
The fight between Holloway x Aldo started out tense. The champion took the initiative, but Aldo responded to all of his rival's attacks with good counterattacks. The Hawaiian, despite his volume, did not land any hard blows. On the other hand, the Brazilian worked well with low kicks and powerful crosses. With the dispute undefined. Holloway tried to provoke the manauara at the end of the partial, lowering his guard and hitting him in the face. The attempt to destabilize the Brazilian backfired. Aldo connected with a beautiful uppercut on Holloway's chin, who felt the blow and applauded his rival.
The second round followed like the first. Holloway with volume and Aldo with precision on the counterattack. The Brazilian connected with a combination of straight shots to the waist and head, which made Holloway retreat. But the Hawaiian returned to pressure Aldo in the second half of the session, with no response from Manauara. The champion closed the distance and Aldo accepted the open fight, clearly at a disadvantage. In the final moments, the American landed a flying knee without much force.
The dispute became clear in the third round, with the fighters exchanging punches in a crazy manner. With greater reach, Holloway landed the best blows and hurt Aldo. The champion applied a harsh punishment to the Brazilian who tried to respond in any way, but without hitting his rival. The man from Manaus still tried to take the fight to the ground, but it was the champion who fell on top. He continued to hit Aldo until referee Herb Dean interrupted the dispute, declaring a technical knockout.
Francis Ngannou runs over Alistair Overeem
Ngannou (left) knocked out Overeem (right) at UFC 218. Photo: Reproduction / Facebook UFC
In the second most important fight of the show, the Cameroonian Francis Ngannou he needed just over a minute to show why he is the main bet for the heavyweights. The 31-year-old fighter was not aware of alistair overeem and knocked out the Dutchman in just 102 seconds of combat. The fight started with Overeem shortening the fight to take down his rival. But Ngannou managed to stay standing and fight the fight in the clinch. When the duel resumed, Ngannou ended the fight in a sensational way: he landed an upper right on Overeem's chin, who was already knocked out. The Cameroonian still landed another hard punch from top to bottom before the referee stopped the fight.
UFC 218 results
MAIN CARD
Feather weight: Max Holloway derrotou José Aldo by technical knockout at 4m51s of R3
Heavyweight: Francis Ngannou derrotou alistair overeem by knockout at 1m42s of R1
Fly weight: Henry Cejudo defeated Sergio Pettis via unanimous decision (30×27, 30×27, 30×27)
Lightweight: Eddie Alvarez defeated Justin gaethje by knockout at 3m59s of R3
Straw weight: Tecia torres derrotou Michelle Waterson in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).
PRELIMINARY CARD
Lightweight: Paul felder derrotou Charles of the Bronx by knockout at 4m06s of R2
Welterweight: Yancy Medeiros defeated Alex Cowboy by technical knockout at 2m02s of R3
Lightweight: David Teymur defeated Drakkar Klose in the unanimous decision of the judges (30×27, 30×27, 29×28)
Straw weight: Felice herrig defeated Cortney Casey via split decision (29×28, 28×29, 29×28)
Welterweight Weight: Abdul Razak Alhassan defeated Sabah Homasi by technical knockout 4m from R1
Light Heavyweight: Dominick reyes submitted Jeremy Kimball with a rear naked choke at 3m39s of R1
Heavyweight: Justin Willis beat Allen Crowder via knockout (punch) at 2:33 of R1;
Strawweight: Amanda Cooper defeated Angela Magaña by TKO at 4:34 of R2
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