The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil tonight for UFC 212: “Aldo vs Holloway.” The fight card was headlined by a UFC Undisputed Featherweight Championship bout between José “Scarface” Aldo and interim titleholder Max “Blessed” Holloway.
In tonight’s co-main event, former strawweight title challengers Claudia “Claudinha” Gadelha and Karolina Kowalkiewicz met in a battle between top contenders. At middleweight, Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort took on Nate “The Great” Marquardt. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.
UFC Undisputed Featherweight Championship
Max “Blessed” Holloway vs José “Scarface” Aldo
Round 1:
Holloway pressed the action early on and backed Aldo up with a combination, but Aldo fired back with a quick one-two. Holloway landed a left hook, but Aldo rocked him with a barrage of punches and a knee. Holloway’s eyes rolled back, but he recovered quickly and circled away from the cage. Aldo landed another solid two-punch combo later in the round and Holloway finished the round with a spinning back kick. 10-9 Aldo.
Round 2:
Aldo punched to the body in round two and he followed with a left-right combo to the face. More punches landed for Aldo, and Holloway struggled to find his range. He finally connected with a combination, but Aldo tied him up in a clinch. Holloway broke free and rushed forward with a lengthy flurry. Big punches landed for both men and Holloway attempted a head kick. Aldo snapped Holloway’s head back with stiff jabs and Holloway responded by taunting. The fighters traded punches and Aldo appeared to hurt Holloway with two left hooks at the bell. 10-9 Aldo.
Round 3:
Holloway opened the action in round three with a hard combination that backed Aldo up, but Aldo came back with two flurries in return that drew cheers from the crowd. Holloway jabbed and dropped Aldo with a right cross. He dove into mount and rained down more punches, but Aldo kicked him off. Holloway landed more punches and mounted Aldo again. He took a dazed Aldo’s back and tried for a rear-naked choke, but Aldo managed to defend. Holloway moved back to mount and dropped punches. He took Aldo’s back once more and landed punch after punch until the bout was stopped.
Winner: Max Holloway by TKO (Punches) at 4:13 of round three. He improves to 18-3-0 and becomes the UFC Undisputed Featherweight Champion.
Claudia “Claudinha” Gadelha vs Karolina Kowalkiewicz
Round 1:
Punches were exchanged early on and Gadelha landed a kick to the body. The fighters punched their way into a clinch and Gadelha broke free with an elbow. Kowalkiewicz scored with a left uppercut and she followed with a quick flurry of punches. Gadelha clinched and took Kowalkiewicz down into side control. Kowalkiewicz gave up her back and Gadelha sunk in both hooks. She locked on a tight rear-naked choke and Kowalkiewicz was forced to submit.
Winner: Claudia Gadelha by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 3:03 of round one. She improves to 15-2-0.
Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort vs Nate “The Great” Marquardt
Round 1:
Marquardt punched his way into an early clinch and tripped Belfort to the mat. Belfort tied up Marquardt’s arms from the bottom and the fighters were stood up. Belfort landed a left hook and a kick to the upper body. A jumping switch kick landed for Marquardt and the fighters traded right hands. 10-9 Marquardt.
Round 2:
After a cautious opening minute in round two, Belfort stunned Marquardt with punches and knees that backed Marquardt up against the cage. More punches scored for Belfort, but Marquardt weathered the storm and he cut Belfort near the left eye with a counter right hook. Marquardt threw more switch kicks that missed, but they kept Belfort guessing. Body kicks and right hands landed for Marquardt, but Belfort replied with a head kick that led to a clinch. Both men landed straight punches in the final seconds. Close round. 10-9 Belfort.
Round 3:
Marquardt kicked from a distance in the final round and Belfort threw occasional uppercuts in return. He lunged in with a right hand that forced Marquardt to circle away and he briefly stunned Marquardt with a head kick. More right hands landed for Belfort, and he stuffed a takedown attempt. Belfort landed a grazing head kick and both men scored with knees in close. 10-9 Belfort due to the late offence.
Winner: Vitor Belfort by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 26-13-0, 1 NC.
Paulo Henrique “Borrachinha” Costa vs Oluwale “The Holy War Angel” Bamgbose
Round 1:
Bamgbose shot in for a takedown early on and he got Costa down briefly after landing right hands against the cage. Costa’s left eye swelled up and Bamgbose threw head kicks after the fight returned to the feet. He followed with overhand punches, but Costa hurt him with kicks to the body. Costa unloaded with punches and knees as Bamgbose covered up against the cage. Bamgbose eventually dragged Costa down to the mat, but he could not mount any offence on the ground. 10-9 Costa.
Round 2:
A fatigued Bamgbose fell to the mat after throwing wild punches and a body kick in round two, and Costa took advantage by teeing off with punches from the top. Big shots got through Bamgbose’s guard and referee John McCarthy wisely called off the fight.
Winner: Paulo Henrique Costa by TKO (Punches) at 1:06 of round two. He improves to 10-0-0.
Yancy “The Kid” Medeiros vs Erick “The Tiger” Silva
Round 1:
Silva opened the action with a variety of kicks, but Medeiros answered with a right hook and Silva fell to the mat after a clash of heads. He stood up and recovered as Medeiros pressed forward with more punches. Silva hurt him with left hooks to the head and body, but Medeiros returned fire with hard right hands. Both men landed leg kicks and Medeiros followed with a combination. Silva continued to kick at Medeiros’s lead leg in the final minute and he briefly dropped Medeiros with a knee shortly before the bell. 10-9 Silva.
Round 2:
Medeiros was very aggressive in round two and he landed a flurry and a spinning back kick early on. Silva countered with leg kicks and a right hand, followed by a combination that snapped Medeiros’s head back. Medeiros dropped Silva with a left hook and dove in with more punches on the ground that were blocked by a defending Silva. Referee Eduardo Herdy intervened and waved off the fight for no reason, as a frustrated Silva explained that he was fine.
Winner: Yancy Medeiros by TKO (Punches) at 2:01 of round two. He improves to 14-4-0, 1 NC.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)