UFC Fight Night 164: "Blachowicz vs Souza" Live Play-By-Play & ResultsThe Ultimate Fighting Championship came to Ibirapuera Gymnasium in São Paulo, Brazil tonight for UFC Fight Night 164: “Blachowicz vs Souza.” The card was headlined by a light heavyweight bout between Jan Blachowicz and former middleweight title contender Ronaldo “Jacaré” Silva.

In tonight’s 205-pound co-main event, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua returned to action to battle Paul “Bearjew” Craig. Also on the main card, Charles “do Bronx” Oliveira took on Jared “Flash” Gordon in a lightweight matchup. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the UFC Fight Night 164 card.

 

Jan Blachowicz vs Ronaldo “Jacaré” Souza

Round 1:
Souza closed the distance and clinched with Blachowicz against the cage early on. Blachowicz eventually broke free and he landed a hard leg kick. Souza blocked a head kick and clinched again. He kept Blachowicz pinned against the fence until the bell. Uneventful round. 10-10.

Round 2:
Blachowicz jabbed in round two and both men landed hard right hands. Blachowicz kicked at Souza’s lead leg and stuffed a takedown attempt. The fighters separated following a lengthy stalemate in the clinch and Blachowicz landed a one-two to the body and head. Souza pressed forward with a right hand and Blachowicz countered with two hooks as he backed away. Another uneventful round. 10-9 Blachowicz.

Round 3:
Souza landed an overhand right in the opening minute of round three and Blachowicz responded with jabs. A stalemate ensued in the clinch and the fighters traded single strikes after breaking free. Souza tried again to take Blachowicz down and he landed a leg kick after the fighters separated. Souza landed a combination and Blachowicz responded with two punches before the bell. 10-9 Souza. Dreadful fight through 15 minutes.

Round 4:
Blachowicz jabbed in the fourth round and Souza responded by punching his way into a clinch. He held Blachowicz against the fence and another stalemate followed. The fighters broke free again and both men landed leg kicks. Blachowicz kicked to the body and followed with another leg kick. He kicked to Souza’s body late in the round. 10-9 Blachowicz.

Round 5:
The final round began with Blachowicz landing leg kicks until Souza clinched with him against the fence. Blachowicz broke free with a flurry of punches and Souza shot in again. The fighters were separated and Blachowicz landed more leg kicks. He knocked Souza off-balance with a counter uppercut and Souza began to retreat. Blachowicz landed a one-two and a body kick, then followed with kicks to both of Souza’s legs. 10-9 Blachowicz.

Winner: Jan Blachowicz by Split Decision (48-47, 48-47, 47-48) after five rounds. He improves to 25-8-0.

 

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs Paul “Bearjew” Craig

Round 1:
Craig opened the fight with a spinning wheel kick and he landed two more kicks before clinching in search of a takedown. Rua stayed on his feet, but Craig landed knees and short elbows in close. Rua reversed the clinch, but he was unable to do anything with it and Craig landed a right hand on the break. Rua tried again for another takedown and Craig countered with a front headlock. He unloaded with a barrage of punches as Rua kept his back on the cage and Rua only landed a handful of punches in return. He stuffed a Craig takedown attempt and tried for one of his own. Rua landed one-twos late in the round and Craig countered with a clinch. 10-9 Craig.

Round 2:
Rua pressed forward in round two and Craig used a body kick to keep him at bay. Both men landed punches and Craig kicked to the body again. Rua took him down and struck from the top until Craig attempted a triangle choke. Rua briefly moved to side control before Craig regained full guard. He looked to set up a submission from his back, but Rua avoided danger and repeatedly stood up before diving back in with a right hand or an elbow. Rua closed out the round on top in half-guard. 10-9 Rua.

Round 3:
Rua ducked under a spinning wheel kick in the final round and he pressed forward with punches. Craig countered with a right hand and attempted a takedown, but he wound up on the bottom after pulling guard. Craig landed hammerfists from the bottom and kicked Rua off, but Rua dove back in with flailing punches and landed in Craig’s guard again. Craig postured for a submission and Rua stood up again. He dropped back down with a right hand and stayed on top until Craig kicked him off. Craig finally stood up and both men landed hard punches. Craig took Rua down shortly before the bell. 10-9 Rua.

Result: Split Draw (29-28, 28-28, 28-29) after three rounds. Rua moves to 26-11-1, while Craig is now 12-4-1.

 

Charles “do Bronx” Oliveira vs Jared “Flash” Gordon

Round 1:
Oliveira reversed an early takedown and transitioned to an armbar attempt, but Gordon escaped and the fight returned to the feet. Oliveira landed a left hook and a leg kick, and he stunned Gordon with a counter right cross soon after. An uppercut sent Gordon crashing to the mat against the base of the cage and Oliveira landed one more punch before the fight was waved off.

Winner: Charles Oliveira by KO (Punches) at 1:26 of round one. He improves to 28-8-0, 1 NC.

 

André “Sergipano” Muniz vs Antônio Arroyo

Round 1:
Arroyo landed a hard body kick right away and he swarmed on Muniz with punches. Muniz clinched and Arroyo threw him to the ground. Muniz worked for an armbar from the bottom and Arroyo appeared to be in some trouble. He stayed calm and eventually managed to slam his way free. The fighters stood and Muniz managed to take Arroyo down against the base of the cage. He landed a legal knee to Arroyo’s face before Arroyo kneeled down, but time was called and referee Camila Albuquerque warned Muniz anyway. After the restart, Muniz landed his best punches of the round. Arroyo responded with a front kick that hurt Muniz before the bell. 10-9 Arroyo.

Round 2:
Muniz countered an early head kick from Arroyo with a flurry of punches and a takedown into back control in round two. He secured a neck crank, but Arroyo managed to break his grip. Muniz transitioned to mount and Arroyo quickly scrambled into a heel hook attempt in defence. Arroyo stood and Muniz threw upkicks from his back until Arroyo settled back into his guard. Arroyo landed a handful of strikes in an uneventful final minute of the round. 10-9 Muniz.

Round 3:
Muniz took Arroyo down in the final round and he struck from the top until Arroyo tried to escape to his feet. Muniz took his back, but Arroyo managed to shake him off and he stood over Muniz, who remained on the ground. Neither fighter did anything offensively for almost a minute and the crowd voiced its displeasure. Arroyo finally landed a handful of punches before Muniz was stood up and neither man did anything before the bell. 10-9 Muniz due to control. Dreadful round.

Winner: André Muniz by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 19-4-0.

 

Wellington “The Prodigy” Turman vs Markus “Maluko” Perez

Round 1:
Turman countered an early body kick with a flurry of punches that led to a clinch against the cage. He tried for a takedown, but Perez defended well and reversed the clinch. A hard elbow landed for Perez, but Turman took his back and scored a brief takedown. Perez stood and landed a big spinning backfist, but Turman was unfazed and he fired back with punches before Perez backed away. Perez missed with spinning kicks and Turman landed a one-two. Turman scored with a right cross and a knee that backed Perez up momentarily. Perez missed with a spinning back elbow and ate a right hand late in the round. 10-9 Turman.

Round 2:
Turman was the aggressor early in round two and he pressed forward with more right hands. Perez responded with a spinning backfist that landed cleanly, but Turman took him down and landed knees on the way up. He tried to drag Perez down again, but Perez turned into the clinch and backed away. Both men landed combinations and Turman cut Perez near the right eye with a lead left hook. In the final seconds, Turman secured a front headlock and he landed a knee before the bell. 10-9 Turman.

Round 3:
The final round began with an exchange of punches and Turman landed the better strikes. He scored with lead left hands that led to a clinch against the cage, where Turman landed a knee and dragged Perez down to his knees. Perez stood and Turman landed knees to his damaged eye. He got Perez down again and tried to take back control, but Perez rolled and Turman briefly held mount. Perez scrambled free and attempted a heel hook, to no avail. Turman wound up on top in Perez’s guard and he landed punches until Perez stood up. Turman landed two knees and Perez fired back with a spinning backfist. The exhausted fighters traded punches late in the fight and embraced at the bell. 10-9 Turman.

Winner: Wellington Turman by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 16-3-0.

 

(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)