Demian Maia vs Matt “The Immortal” Brown
Round 1:
Brown grabbed the fence to try to defend against an early takedown attempt, but Maia got him down anyway and took his back. He sunk in both hooks as Brown stood up. Maia used a body triangle to set up a rear-naked choke while pulling him back down to the mat. He landed punches and hammerfists while working to secure neck cranks and rear-naked chokes. Brown turned into Maia’s guard, but he was unable to do anything before the bell. 10-9 Maia, if not a 10-8.
Round 2:
Maia took Brown back down in the second round and he transitioned to back control again. Brown defended against Maia’s rear-naked chokes and neck cranks, but Maia landed a series of hammerfists to the sides of his head. He attempted another rear-naked choke, but Brown broke his grip. Maia threw elbows to the temples and attacked with an armbar attempt late in the round. 10-8 Maia.
Round 3:
Maia landed an overhand left in the final round, but Brown stuffed three takedowns and hurt him with a counter hook. Maia recovered quickly and tried to trip Brown to the mat, but wound up mounted. He swept into top position and pinned Brown against the base of the cage. Maia moved to a partial mount, but Brown scrambled up. Maia took his back in the process and locked on another body triangle. He punched from the back and worked for a neck crank. More punches landed for Maia and he finally secured a tight rear-naked choke. Brown tried to hold on, but tapped out.
Winner: Demian Maia by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 4:31 of round three. He improves to 23-6-0.
Thiago “Marreta” Santos vs Nate “The Great” Marquardt
Round 1:
Santos landed kicks to Marquardt’s lead leg and head in the opening minute. Marquardt threw occasional leg kicks in return and Santos began to target the body. He dropped Marquardt with a left hook Marquardt soon recovered and he got back to his feet. Santos fired off a four-punch flurry and finished with a left hook behind the ear that dropped Marquardt face-first to the canvas.
Winner: Thiago Santos by KO (Punch) at 3:39 of round one. He improves to 13-3-0.
Francisco “Massaranduba” Trinaldo vs Yancy “The Kid” Medeiros
Round 1:
Trinaldo clinched and worked for a takedown against the cage in round one. Medeiros defended well and he landed knees to the body. Trinaldo broke free from the clinch and Medeiros mixed things up with right hands and a spinning back kick attempt. The fighters traded body kicks and Trinaldo landed a pair of overhand lefts. He backed Medeiros up with big punches over the top. Two huge left hands rocked Medeiros, but he recovered enough to throw a spinning back kick. Trinaldo teed off with punches until the end of the round. 10-9 Trinaldo.
Round 2:
Trinaldo started strong with more punches in the second round, but Medeiros weathered the storm and fired back with some solid shots to the body. Trinaldo slowed down, but still connected with overhand lefts and leg kicks. He used a front headlock to drag Medeiros to the mat and cracked him with a head kick as the fight returned to the feet. Trinaldo picked up the pace and walked Medeiros down with heavy punches. Medeiros punched to the body and Trinaldo slowed down again. A big right hand floored Trinaldo just before time expired. 10-9 Trinaldo, barely, in spite of the late knockdown.
Round 3:
Medeiros attacked Trinaldo’s liver with punches and spinning back kicks in round three. Trinaldo responded with a hard body kick in return. He wobbled Medeiros with a looping overhand left and teed off with haymaker punches. Medeiros stumbled and nearly fell down. Trinaldo continued to throw punches until Medeiros collapsed forward. Trinaldo battered him with elbows and hammerfists on the ground, but a dazed Medeiros stood up. Trinaldo dropped him with left hooks and a knee to the body. He attempted an arm-triangle choke, but Medeiros wound up on top. He landed elbows before the bell. 10-8 Trinaldo. Close to a 10-7.
Winner: Francisco Trinaldo by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-26) after three rounds. He improves to 20-4-0.
John “Hands of Stone” Lineker vs Rob Font
Round 1:
Font opened the action by backing Lineker up with side kicks to the body, but Lineker cracked him with a right-left combo in return. Lead left hooks landed for Lineker and he followed with another combination. Lineker flurried with punches and he knocked Font down with a sweeping leg kick. Font stood and he jabbed from a distance. Lineker rushed forward and unloaded with punches to the body. He briefly took Font down and landed hard punches on the way up. 10-9 Lineker.
Round 2:
Hard leg kicks scored for Lineker in the second round and he countered Font’s jabs by landing a lunging four-punch flurry to the head and body. More leg kicks were exchanged and Lineker connected with a step-in one-two. He continued to target Font’s midsection with punches. Font fought off a takedown attempt and tripped Lineker for a split second. Lineker landed leg kicks and Font countered with a hook kick to the face. 10-9 Lineker.
Round 3:
Lineker pressed the action with punches and leg kicks in round three. Font fired back with a quick flurry and circled away. Lineker landed a big combination and Font fell to his back. Lineker struck from the top while pinning Font against the base of the cage. He threw knees to Font’s chest and blasted him with a right hand as Font scrambled up to his feet. Lineker caught a kick and tripped him to the mat. He dropped punches and elbows and moved to side control. Font stood and Lineker hurt him with punches. He attempted a guillotine choke before the final bell. 10-9 Lineker.
Winner: John Lineker by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 27-7-0.
Undercard Fights:
– Antonio Rogerio “Minotouro” Nogueira defeated Patrick “Durkin” Cummins by TKO (Punches) at 4:52 of round one. He improves to 22-7-0 with the win.
– Sergio “The Panther” Moraes and Luan “Tarzan” Chagas fought to a Split Draw (29-28, 28-29, 28-28) after three rounds. Moraes moves to 10-2-1, while Chagas is now 14-1-1.
– Renato “Moicano” Carneiro defeated Zubaira “Warrior” Tukhugov by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 10-0-1 with the win.