Ihor
Potieria does not believe in storybook endings.
The
Dana White’s Contender Series graduate evened his
Ultimate Fighting Championship record, as he cut down Mauricio Rua
with punches in the first round of their featured UFC
283 prelim on Saturday at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro.
Potieria (18-4, 0-2 UFC) slammed the door on the Brazilian legend
4:05 into Round 1.
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Rua (27-14-1, 11-12-1 UFC)—who announced his intention to retire
prior to the match—cracked the Ukrainian with a left hook but
offered little else of substance, the 2005
Pride Fighting Championships middleweight grand prix winner
looking painfully slow on the draw at 41 years of age.
Potieria clipped him with a right hook that scrambled his circuits,
swarmed with punches and forced “Shogun” to his knees and into a
defensive shell. More punches followed, prompting
referee Herb Dean to intervene.
Debuting Ferreira Stuns Rodrigues
Evolucao Thai standout Brunno
Ferreira remained undefeated and did so in spectacular fashion,
as he punched out former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Gregory
Rodrigues in the first round of their middleweight tussle. A
late replacement for Brad
Tavares, Ferreira (10-0, 1-0 UFC) sealed the deal 4:13 into
Round 1. Rodrigues (13-5, 4-2 UFC) pressed the issue from the outset, as he
scored with a probing jab and a punching flurry punctuated by a
right uppercut. Ferreira, 30, was undeterred. Backed up to the
cage, he kept himself of harm’s way and unleashed a brutal straight
left on the counter.
It connected on the button and sent Rodriguez crashing backward,
his head bouncing violently off the canvas. A diving
right hand followed and opened a cut underneath the right eye of an
unconscious “RoboCop” before referee Fernando Portella could arrive
on the scene.
The unblemished Ferreira resume now features eight first-round
finishes.
Moises Taps Replacement Costa
American Top Team mainstay Thiago
Moises submitted organizational newcomer Melquizael
Costa with
a face crank in the first round of their lightweight
battle. A short-notice substitution for Guram
Kutateladze, Costa (19-6, 0-1 UFC) conceded defeat 4:05 into
Round 2.
Moises (17-5, 6-4 UFC) followed his customarily methodical path to
the winner’s circle. The onetime Resurrection Fighting Alliance
champion hit the accelerator after a relatively uneventful first
round, secured a takedown and applied his ground-and-pound, opening
a cut with a well-placed elbow. Moises then progressed to the back,
secured his position with a body triangle and cinched the face
crank to generate the desired outcome.
The setback closed the door on Costa’s two-fight winning
streak.
Undefeated Bonfim Throttles Lazzez
Cerrado MMA prospect Gabriel
Bonfim took care of Mounir
Lazzez with
a guillotine choke in the first round of their welterweight
clash. Lazzez (11-3, 2-2 UFC) bowed out just 49
seconds into Round 1, victimized by a sub-minute finish for the
first time in his career.
Bonfim (14-0, 1-0 UFC) was the aggressor from the start, as the two
men traded leg kicks before he backed the Tunisian to the fence.
The Dana White’s Contender Series graduate ducked under a standing
elbow from Lazzez, countered an ill-advised takedown with the
guillotine and rolled to a mounted position to force the
tapout.
The 25-year-old Bonfim has stopped all 14 of his opponents, seven
of them in the first round.
Almeida Annihilates Overmatched Abdurakhimov
Former Thunder Fight titleholder Jailton
Almeida disposed of Shamil
Abdurakhimov with
punches in the second round of their one-sided heavyweight
confrontation. Winless since April 2019, Abdurakhimov
(20-8, 5-6 UFC) succumbed to unanswered blows 2:56 into Round
2.
The ascending Almeida (18-2, 4-0 UFC) had no issues, outside of a
well-timed overhand right from the Russian inside the first 10
seconds. He executed repeated takedowns, moved freely in top
position and eventually settled on ground-and-pound as his means to
an end. Almeida took down the Fighting Eagle export early in Round
2, progressed to the back, flattened out the 41-year-old and
prompted the stoppage with repeated shots to the head.
Almeida, 31, has won 13 fights in a row.
Stamann Spoils Lacerda Debut
Xtreme Couture standout Cody
Stamann won fourth time in five outings, as he laid claim to a
unanimous decision over former Shooto Brazil champion Luan
Lacerda in a three-round bantamweight scrap. Stamann (21-5-1,
7-4-1 UFC) swept the scorecards with matching 29-28 marks from the
cageside judges.
Lacerda (12-2, 0-1 UFC) performed well in his promotional debut. He
blasted Stamann’s body with kicks from both legs and mixed in a
pair of third-round takedowns. However, the spaces in between were
mostly ruled by the Michigan native. Stamann was the busier and
more efficient fighter, as he uncorked crisp two- and three-punch
combinations, along with a consistent jab and the occasional inside
leg kick. He did his best work in the middle stanza, where he
connected with a counter left hook and targeted the body and head
with equal aplomb.
The loss was Lacerda’s first since Aug. 10, 2014 and snapped a run
of 10 straight wins for the Brazilian.
Bonfim Knee Wrecks McKinney
Cerrado MMA’s Ismael
Bonfim wiped out former Front Street Fights champion Terrance
McKinney with
a devastating flying knee in the second round of their lightweight
encounter. An unconscious McKinney (13-5, 3-2 UFC)
nosedived into the canvas 2:17 into Round 2. No follow-up shots
were necessary.
Bonfim (19-3, 1-0 UFC) countered beautifully throughout the match,
controlled the center of the cage and let the finish come to him.
He sent McKinney’s mouthpiece flying with a multi-punch burst in
the second round, stepped backward to create some space and
unleashed the fight-ending knee to tie a bow on a near-flawless
performance.
The 27-year-old Bonfim will carry a 13-fight winning streak into
his next assignment.
Relentless Dalby Edges Alves
Former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder Nicolas
Dalby eked out a split decision over “The Ultimate Fighter”
Season 3 Brazil winner Warlley
Alves in a three-round welterweight tilt. All three judges
struck 29-28 scorecards: Derek Cleary for Alves, Fabio Alves and
Sal D’Amato for Dalby.
Alves (14-6, 8-6 UFC) connected with the more impactful blows but
struggled to keep pace with the steady, resourceful Dane. Dalby
(21-4-1, 5-3-1 UFC) leaned on stellar conditioning and responded to
power with volume, often answering one or two punches from the
Brazilian with three, four and five of his own. He was also
effective in the clinch, where he piled up points with knee strikes
to the body and legs. Alves turned up the heat in the third round,
as he upped his activity against the Rumble Sports product and
highlighted a late surge with a vicious straight right. Ultimately,
those efforts fell short.
Dalby, 38, has won three of his last four fights.
Surging Nunes Extends Streak
Josiane
Nunes overcame six-inch height and five-inch reach deficits to
take a unanimous decision from the returning Zarah
Fairn dos Santos in a three-round women’s featherweight affair.
All three members of the cageside judiciary scored it the same:
29-28 for Nunes (10-1, 3-0 UFC).
In her first appearance in nearly three years, Fairn (6-5, 0-3 UFC)
handled her business in a largely one-sided first round. There, she
cut loose with inside leg kicks, body kicks and clean combinations
from distance, pairing them with right uppercuts, knee strikes and
elbows at close range. All the activity came at a cost, as Fairn
appeared visibly fatigued by the time Round 2 started. Nunes sprang
into action with lunging left hooks and often pinned her
counterpart to the fence, where she pieced together three-, four-
and five-punch volleys to the body and head. Fairn rallied at
points in the third but failed to turn the tide back in her
favor.
Nunes has rattled off nine consecutive victories.
Unbeaten Marcos Dismisses Oliveira
Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Daniel
Marcos impressed in his Octagon debut, as he put away Saimon
Oliveira with
a knee strike to the body and follow-up punches in the second round
of their bantamweight pairing. Marcos (14-0, 1-0 UFC)
brought it to a close 2:18 into Round 2.
Oliveira (18-5, 0-2 UFC) enjoyed some success with outside leg
kicks but bled his gas tank dry with failed takedown attempts and
ineffective spinning attacks. Marcos had the Astra Fight Team rep
on the run with punches midway through the second round, folded him
with a knee to the midsection and mopped up what was left with
punches.
The 31-year-old Oliveira has suffered back-to-back defeats for the
first time as a pro.