The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to Gigantinho Gymnasium in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil tonight for UFC Fight Night 61: “Bigfoot vs Mir.” The event was headlined by a five-round heavyweight bout between Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva and former UFC champion Frank Mir.
Also on the card, Edson Barboza took on Michael “The Menace” Johnson in the lightweight co-feature. Cezar “Mutante” Ferreira faced “Smile’n” Sam Alvey in middleweight action and Rustam “Tiger” Khabilov battled Andriano Martins at 155. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the main card.
Frank Mir vs Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva
Round 1:
Mir began the fight in the orthodox stance and he landed a three-punch combination in the opening minute. Soon after, he dropped Silva with a short left hook and dove in with more punches on the ground. Silva held on initially, but Mir turned his lights out with a series of brutal elbows.
Winner: Frank Mir by KO (Punches & Elbows) at 1:40 of round one. He improves to 17-9-0.
Michael “The Menace” Johnson vs Edson Barboza
Round 1:
Johnson walked Barboza down in the first minute of the fight, but Barboza picked his shots with effective counter kicks to the leg and body. Johnson connected with a right hook and Barboza landed a knee and a head kick. Johnson stuffed a takedown and countered with a nice one-two. Big punches were exchanged and Barboza landed a spinning back kick to the body. Johnson bloodied both of Barboza’s eyes with lunging combinations and he continued to put pressure on Barboza with punches as the round came to an end. 10-9 Johnson.
Round 2:
The second round began with an exchange of power punches and Johnson landed the better shots. More quick punches landed for Johnson and he narrowly blocked a head kick. Barboza knocked him off-balance with a counter flurry, but Johnson pushed forward again and landed two hooks in close. He took Barboza down and landed a body kick on the way up. Both men landed hooks in the final 30 seconds and Johnson backed Barboza up against the cage with a three-punch combination. 10-9 Johnson.
Round 3:
Barboza picked up the pace in the final round and threw a variety of kicks early on, but none landed. He eventually scored with a nice body kick, but Johnson answered right back with three punches against the cage. Barboza circled out and Johnson backed up him with a hard flurry. Barboza kicked to the body and just missed with a jumping knee. Johnson took Barboza down in the final 20 seconds and finished the round by landing punches from Barboza’s guard. 10-9 Johnson.
Winner: Michael Johnson by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 16-8-0.
“Smile’n” Sam Alvey vs Cezar “Mutante” Ferreira
Round 1:
Ferreira pressed the action with head kicks and follow-up punches in the opening two minutes, while Alvey threw nothing in return. A hard body kick landed for Ferreira and he just missed with a capoeira kick. He knocked Alvey off-balance with a looping left hook and followed with a back elbow, but Alvey floored him with a massive one-two. Referee Mario Yamasaki was slow to intervene and Alvey landed two more punches to the faces of an unconscious Ferreira.
Winner: Sam Alvey by KO (Punches) at 3:34 of round one. He improves to 25-6-0, 1 NC.
Adriano Martins vs Rustam “Tiger” Khabilov
Round 1:
The fighters were cautious in the opening minute, but Martins found a home for his left hand on Khabilov’s chin as the round progressed. He rushed forward and took Khabilov down against the cage, then passed to half-guard. Khabilov scrambled and escaped to his feet. A winging right hand landed for Khabilov and he followed with a one-two. Martins fought off a takedown attempt and landed a body kick late in the round. 10-9 Martins.
Round 2:
Little transpired in round two until Khabilov fired off a right hook one minute in. One-twos were exchanged and Martins blocked a head kick. The crowd booed the lack of action until Khabilov staggered Martins with a standing back elbow. He followed with punches and Martins circled away. Khabilov stuffed a takedown, but Martins cracked him with an overhand left. Khabilov landed an uppercut and a right hook in the final 30 seconds, but Martins knocked him down just before the bell sounded. 10-9 Khabilov.
Round 3:
Martins was more aggressive in round three and he pressured Khabilov early on with punches. Martins scored a takedown and worked from the top in half-guard, then transitioned to mount. Khabilov scrambled all the way back to his feet and the fighters cautiously circled for the next two minutes. Martins blocked a head kick and dumped Khabilov to the mat before time expired. 10-9 Martins.
Winner: Adriano Martins by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 27-7-0.
Frankie Saenz vs Iuri “Marajo” Alcantara
Round 1:
Saenz scored an early takedown, but Alcantara returned to his feet and hurt Saenz with a front kick to the body. Saenz clinched and held Alcantara against the fence.The fighters separated and traded hooks before Saenz lunged in with a knee. Big punches were exchanged, but neither man landed cleanly. Alcantara clinched and tripped Saenz to the mat, then hopped on his back. He tried to transition to an armbar, but Saenz escaped into top position in Alcantara’s guard. He landed short punches and elbows before the bell. 10-9 Alcantara by a slim margin.
Round 2:
Alcantara stunned Saenz with a head kick and a left cross in round two, but Saenz stayed on his feet and recovered quickly. Punches were exchanged and Saenz jumped on Alcantara’s back as Alcantara dropped levels for a takedown. He threw knees to Alcantara’s thighs and unloaded with punches. Alcantara rolled for a leglock, but Saenz escaped into top position. Alcantara tried for an armbar and Saenz stood over him and kicked at his legs. Alcantara returned to his feet and Saenz landed a powerful leg kick. Alcantara cut him below the right eye with a one-two, but Saenz took him down at the bell. 10-9 Saenz.
Round 3:
Saenz punched his way into a clinch in round three and followed with elbows over the top. He took Alcantara down and Alcantara countered with a kimura attempt. Saenz escaped from the kimura and avoided a triangle choke attempt. Alcantara stood against the cage and Saenz landed hard knees to the body. Saenz ducked under a spinning back elbow and clinched again. Alcantara got him down and took his back, but Saenz escaped out the back and finished the round strong with knees and punches. 10-9 Saenz.
Winner: Frankie Saenz by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 10-2-0.
Santiago “Gente Boa” Ponzinibbio vs Sean “Tarzan” Strickland
Round 1:
Both men landed hard combinations in the opening minute and Strickland scored a takedown near the cage wall. Ponzinibbio stood and Strickland landed a series of jabs. He dropped Ponzinibbio with a flurry and followed with more punches as Ponzinibbio returned to his feet. Ponzinibbio recovered and landed a head kick and a barrage of punches. Strickland stayed on his feet as Ponzinibbio teed off with more powerful shots. Ponzinibbio dumped him to the mat and landed short punches until the bell. Very close round. 10-9 Ponzinibbio due to the late rally.
Round 2:
Strickland pressured Ponzinibbio with jabs and a combination in the second round, but Ponzinibbio chopped away at his lead leg with kicks. He attempted a head kick, but Strickland blocked it and returned fire with a three-punch flurry. Ponzinibbio landed a hard one-two, which prompted Strickland to take him down and hop on his back. Ponzinibbio stood and scrambled free of the clinch. The fighters traded more power punches and Ponzinibbio landed leg kicks. A big combination from Ponzinibbio was answered by stiff jabs from Strickland. Another close round. 10-9 Ponzinibbio, barely.
Round 3:
Strickland knocked Ponzinibbio down with punches in round three, but Ponzinibbio quickly returned to his feet. Strickland secured a brief takedown, but Ponzinibbio stood and circled away. After an exchange of punches, Ponzinibbio landed a head kick and Strickland appeared to be completely unfazed. He jabbed and mixed in front kicks to the body. Ponzinibbio attempted a takedown and Strickland defended with knees. Both men landed right hands in the final 15 seconds. 10-9 Strickland.
Winner: Santiago Ponzinibbio by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 20-2-0.
Undercard Fights:
– Marion “The Belizean Bruiser” Reneau defeated Jéssica “Bate Estaca” Andrade by Submission (Triangle Choke) at 1:54 of round one. She improves to 6-1-0 with the win.
– Matt Dwyer defeated William “Patolino” Macario by KO (Superman Punch) at 3:14 of round one. He improves to 8-2-0 with the win.
– Mike “El Cucuy” de la Torre defeated Tiago “Trator” dos Santos e Silva by KO (Punches) at 2:59 of round one. He improves to 13-4-0, 1 NC with the win.
– Douglas “D’Silva” Silva de Andrade defeated Cody “The Renegade” Gibson by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 23-1-0, 1 NC with the win.
– Ivan “Batman” Jorge defeated Josh Shockley by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 26-4-0 with the win.