The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil tonight for UFC 237: “Namajunas vs Andrade.” The card was headlined by a UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship bout between “Thug” Rose Namajunas and challenger Jéssica “Bate Estaca” Andrade.
In tonight’s featured co-main event, Jared “The Killa Gorilla” Cannonier took on former UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva. At 145 pounds, former titleholder José “Scarface” Aldo met Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the main card.
UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship
Jéssica “Bate Estaca” Andrade vs “Thug” Rose Namajunas
Round 1:
Namajunas used feints and scored with quick jabs right away in round one. She followed with right hands that opened a cut above Andrade’s left eye and continued to tag Andrade with one-twos. Andrade missed with looping hooks, but she closed the distance and tried for a slam. Namajunas locked on a kimura in the process and switched to an armbar as Andrade slammed her down, but Andrade escaped and Namajunas rose to her feet. She scored with more jabs and stunned Andrade with a lead left hook. Namajunas dropped Andrade with a knee and dove in with punches from the top as Andrade tried to defend. The fighters stood and Andrade escaped from a brief guillotine choke attempt. Andrade landed two right hooks, but Namajunas countered nicely with a knee and a one-two over the top. 10-9 Namajunas. Could be a 10-8.
Round 2:
A lunging combination landed for Andrade in the second round and Namajunas countered with a three-punch flurry as she circled away. Jabs and straight punches landed for Namajunas, who briefly looked for a takedown. Andrade landed two hard leg kicks and a knee to the body before clinching with Namajunas against the cage. She elevated Namajunas up into the air and slammed her down on her head, leaving Namajunas face-down and unconscious on the mat.
Winner: Jéssica Andrade by KO (Slam) at 2:58 of round two. She improves to 20-6-0 and becomes the new UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion.
Jared “The Killa Gorilla” Cannonier vs Anderson “The Spider” Silva
Round 1:
Cannonier threw occasional leg kicks and right hands in the opening two minutes and Silva kept his distance while trying to time his strikes. He eventually landed a body kick and followed with a jumping switch kick. Two heavy right hooks landed for Cannonier, but Silva was unfazed and he responded with an elbow in a clinch. Cannonier punched his way free and Silva landed a hard liver kick. A step-in right hook landed for Cannonier and he blocked a head kick. Cannonier landed a hard kick to Silva’s right knee and Silva collapsed, forcing referee Herb Dean to wave off the fight.
Winner: Jared Cannonier by TKO (Knee Injury) at 4:47 of round one. He improves to 12-4-0.
Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski vs José “Scarface” Aldo
Round 1:
The fighters traded leg kicks in the opening two minutes and Aldo countered right hands from Volkanovski with stiff jabs. A hook to the body followed from Aldo and he landed more jabs before countering a spinning backfist with a right hook. Volkanovski clinched, but Aldo broke free and he landed a jumping knee late in the round. 10-9 Aldo.
Round 2:
Volkanovski struck from a distance with jabs and leg kicks in the second round. Aldo answered with lead hooks and combinations, and he followed with a knee to the body. Volkanovski backed him up with a jab and connected with an elbow soon after. Time was called after Aldo was poked in the eye. Action soon resumed and Aldo scored with a hard one-two. Volkanovski punched his way into a clinch and he threw a series of knees to Aldo’s left thigh. Aldo briefly took Volkanovski’s back, but Volkanovski reversed the clinch again and held him against the fence. Aldo broke free and Volkanovski landed two punches before the bell. 10-9 Volkanovski, barely.
Round 3:
The pace picked up in round three and both men landed quick combinations. Volkanovski backed Aldo up with an overhand right and he clinched with him against the cage. Aldo escaped from his grasp and Volkanovski tagged him with jabs. He clinched with Aldo again and pinned Aldo against the cage wall. A flurry of punches landed for Volkanovski and he mixed in knees to Aldo’s legs until the end of the round. 10-9 Volkanovski.
Winner: Alexander Volkanovski by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 20-1-0.
Laureano “Pepi” Staropoli vs Thiago “Pitbull” Alves
Round 1:
Staropoli used feints early on and jumped in with a switch kick. He followed with another one to Alves’s arm and cracked Alves with a one-two. Staropoli closed the distance and landed kick-punch combos followed by a standing elbow that opened a cut along Alves’s hairline. Alves landed two hard leg kicks and Staropoli answered with a left hand. He continued to throw spinning kicks that kept Alves on the defensive. Both men landed punches and Staropoli countered a leg kick with a lunging flurry. Alves tagged him with a lead left hook late in the round. 10-9 Staropoli.
Round 2:
Alves opened round two with a nice right hand, but the action slowed and the crowd voiced its displeasure. Alves lost his balance while throwing a kick and Staropoli kept him pinned down against the base of the cage. Alves worked his way up and Staropoli landed a spinning back elbow as he stood. Both men landed hard left hooks and Staropoli countered a leg kick with a one-two. He followed with an uppercut-hook combo and Alves responded with a leg kick. Two lunging punches landed for Alves and he backed Staropoli up with a combination before the bell. 10-9 Alves.
Round 3:
Staropoli countered a knee from Alves with a flurry in the final round, but Alves took him down. Staropoli battled back to his feet and targeted Alves’s midsection. Alves answered with leg kicks and Staropoli landed two powerful left hooks to the liver. A three-punch combo to Alves’s face also landed for Staropoli and he fought off a takedown attempt. Alves began to bleed from a cut near his left eye and Staropoli connected with a solid body kick. His left-right combos landed until Alves countered with an uppercut. He hurt Staropoli with a knee that appeared to break Staropoli’s nose and the fight ended with an exchange of hard punches. 10-9 Staropoli by a slim margin.
Winner: Laureano Staropoli by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 9-1-0.
Irene Aldana vs Bethe “Pitbull” Correia
Round 1:
Aldana jabbed early on and followed with a leg kick. Correia tried to catch it, but Aldana punched her way free. She continued to paw out with jabs and cracked Correia with a one-two. Punches were exchanged and Aldana landed a right hand as Correia’s left eye swelled up. Aldana picked Correia apart with quick strikes until the final minute of the round when Correia closed the distance and scored with two hooks and an overhand right. Aldana re-established her jab and she stunned Correia with two right hands late in the round. 10-9 Aldana.
Round 2:
Correia opened round two with leg kicks and Aldana fired back with one-twos. She landed step-in jabs and a follow-up right hands, but Correia tagged her with more overhand rights and began to take control of some of the striking exchanges. Aldana continued to throw the same ja-cross combinations and Correia timed them by countering with leg kicks and right hooks. She hurt Aldana with a left-right combo and backed her up against the cage, but Aldana recovered and landed a knee to the jaw. Correia landed more hooks and Aldana scored with her best combination of the fight just before the bell. 10-9 Correia.
Round 3:
Aldana threw a body kick early in the final round, but Correia caught it and countered with four hooks to the sides of Aldana’s face. Aldana landed two hard right hands and Correia responded with two of her own. She backed Aldana up with a big flurry, but Aldana held her ground and the fighters traded punches. Correia landed three more hooks and Aldana answered with a right cross. Correia bizarrely dove at Aldana’s ankle for an ill-advised takedown attempt and Aldana quickly countered by locking on a belly-down armbar that forced Correia to submit.
Winner: Irene Aldana by Submission (Armbar) at 3:24 of round three. She improves to 10-4-0.