Fight blog recap: Demian Maia mauls Ryan LaFlare in main event from Brazil
Demian Maia was out to prove he was still a threat to the top fighters in the world at 170-pounds and dominated previously unbeaten prospect Ryan LaFlare to prove it as the welterweights capped off the latest UFC Fight Night card from Brazil.
Maia had been out for 10 months, primarily due to a severe bone infection in his shoulder that put him in the hospital and out of the gym for several weeks. Resilient as ever, Maia powered back on Saturday night with a suffocating performance over LaFlare to pick up his second win in a row overall.
Maia took LaFlare down to the ground at will throughout the first four rounds, passing guard and nearly finishing the fight with an arm triangle choke in the fourth. LaFlare survived and had his best chance to win in the final five minutes as Maia was clearly out of breath and barely hanging on for the final bell.
Referee John McCarthy actually penalized Maia for flopping to his back several times throughout the round, but the point deduction didn't matter in the end the judges returned scores of 48-46 across the board for the Brazilian.
In the co-main event, Erick Silva submitted Josh Koscheck to finally pick up two wins in a row for the first time in his UFC career.
The loss drops Koscheck to 0-5 in his last five fights and retirement may be looming for the former Ultimate Fighter season one competitor.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT: MAIA VS. LAFLARE full play-by-play and results
Round 1:
Maia shoots in for a takedown after a few brief exchanges on the feet. He quickly moves into half guard and Maia doing a good job of stopping LaFlare's scrambles. Maia staying busy, taking the back and looking for the choke, but LaFlare able to find away out and get back to half guard. Very effective first round for Maia.
10-9 Demian Maia
Round 2:
Another takedown for Maia in round 2 and again he's looking to pass guard. Maia keeps working and he lands in the mount. Maia looking for a arm triangle choke, but LaFlare is able to slip out. Maia just beating up LaFlare through the first two rounds.
10-9 Demian Maia
Round 3:
LaFlare knows he's down so he's coming out swinging hard at Maia to start round 3. LaFlare switches things up and he puts Maia on his back. Maia grabs a leg from the bottom and LaFlare tries to scramble to escape and he can't get away. Maia converts his submission attempt into a takedown and quickly back to mount on LaFlare. Maia doing everything short of finishing LaFlare so far.
10-9 Demian Maia
Round 4:
Maia with another takedown despite LaFlare's best efforts to stop him. Maia is back in mount again and he's looking for punches this time. Maia wrapping an arm triangle choke as the pressure mounts on LaFlare. And once again LaFlare finds a way to survive but he's down big and needs a finish.
10-9 Demian Maia
Round 5:
Maia still going for takedowns, but for the first time this fight, LaFlare is able to shrug him off and keep the fight standing. LaFlare is tagging Maia with some hard shots this round and the Brazilian looks exhausted. Maia flopping to his back after exchanges as opposed to taking more damage. Maia finally snags a takedown with about a minute to go, but LaFlare is up again. Maia flops down to the mat again and referee John McCarthy takes a point away from him for repeatedly dropping to the ground.
10-8 Ryan LaFlare
FOX Sports scores it 48-46 for Demian Maia
Official result: Demian Maia def. Ryan LaFlare by unanimous decision (48-46 on all cards)
Analysis:
A dominant performance for the most part as Demian Maia put Ryan LaFlare on the mat over and over again throughout the first four rounds before gassing out hard in the fifth. Maia looked as good as ever on the mat, passing LaFlare's guard at will and looking for submission attempts throughout the fight. LaFlare came back as best he could in the fifth round while Maia was gasping for air, but at that stage of the game, the fight was already over.
Round 1:
Koscheck out aggressive and looking for a takedown on Silva. The fighters are separated by the referee and back to the middle. Silva connects with a big left hand that puts Koscheck down before a scramble and he's on the ground. Silva locked in Koscheck's guard looking for punches and they are back up to the feet. Silva with a straight left that stuns Koscheck again, followed by a body kick. Koscheck starts opening up with punches, but Silva catches him coming in looking for a takedown and he's got a guillotine choke. Silva drops to his back and it's tight and Koscheck taps out! Another first round finish for Erick Silva and maybe the last fight of Koscheck's career.
Official result: Erick Silva def. Josh Koscheck by submission (guillotine choke) at 4:21, R1
Analysis:
Once again, Erick Silva proves he's one of the most dangerous fighters in the world in the first round. To his credit, Silva hurt Koscheck a couple of times and didn't just dive on the opening, which has cost him in the past because opponents have been able to counter his unchecked aggression. Silva finally wins two in a row in the UFC and now maybe he'll be able to put together a real streak after a very up and down career to this point. As for Koscheck, five losses in a row and this was the last fight on his UFC contract so this is likely the end for him and what else can be said about him -- he was an original and will certainly be missed if he does retire.
Round 1:
Santos starting strong on his feet before moving in for a takedown, but it's Martin who getes the reversal and lands on top. The fighters work back up again as they clinch against the cage. The fighters are separated and back to the center. Martin still pressing the action and stuck in the clinch again. Not much action but Martin seemed to do enough to edge the round
10-9 Tony Martin
Round 2:
Santos with a beautiful trip takedown to open up round two, probably the last place Martin wanted to be this fight. Santos transitions to take Martin's back and he's got a rear naked choke locked up. Martin has no choice but to tap out. Another big submission tonight.
Official result: Leonardo Santos def. Tony Martin by submission (rear naked choke) at 2:29, R2
Analysis:
Leonardo Santos didn't have a great start, but he had a fantastic finish. Santos has incredible Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at his disposal and once he landed a nice trip takedown and took Martin's back -- that was all she wrote. Santos looked a little dispirited in his corner between rounds, but whatever his coaches said did the job because he came out in the second and made short work of Martin.
Round 1:
Nunes looking strong early with her striking, not backing down from Baszler whatsoever. She lands a kick to the body that hurts Baszler. Baszler is backing up and Nunes cracks her with a leg kick straight to the knee and she goes down! Baszler's knee buckles and she crumbles to the mat and Nunes follows up with a couple of more strikes as the referee swoops in to stop it.
Official result: Amanda Nunes def. Shayna Baszler by TKO (strikes) at 1:56, R1
Analysis:
Great win for Nunes especially after a heartbreaker in her last fight against Cat Zingano. Nunes showed great confidence just attacking Baszler from the start of the fight. Once she found her range, Nunes just took over and the leg kick to finish Baszler was just nasty. Nunes is still a very dangerous contender in the women's 135-pound division. It will be interesting to see who she gets next with many of the top fighters in the weight class already matched up right now.
Round 1:
Burns wastes no time taking Oliveira on the mat where he starts working for strikes right away. The fighters work back to the feet and Oliveira is starting to get more comfortable with his strikes. Oliveira's confidence growing as he's able to use superior reach to pop Burns with good combinations.
10-9 Alex Oliveira
Round 2:
Burns gets the body lock to open the round after his corner urged him to move forward. Oliveira is able to shrug him off and separate back to the center of the cage. Burns left eye is busted up pretty good, cut on the cheek and there's some swelling. Now it's Oliveira pressing the action against the cage. Not as much action this round but Burns looks the worse for wear.
10-9 Alex Oliveira
Round 3:
Burns explodes forward and gets the takedown and the mount in the opening seconds of the round. Burns looking for an omo plata, Oliveira is stuck but not in any serious trouble to get submitted. Burns rolls back into the mount and he's looking for a triangle and now an armbar. Burns locks it up and Oliveira taps! Wow incredible comeback win for Burns.
Official result: Gilbert Burns def. Alex Oliveira by submission (armbar) at 4:14, R3
Analysis:
Gilbert Burns was down big after the first two rounds of a very lackluster performance, but he listened to his coaches and came out guns blazing in the final five minutes . Burns took the fight to the mat and just kept working for submissions until he finally caught Oliveira in a position he couldn't escape. Burns was a highly touted prospect going into Saturday night and while his performance wasn't the best early, he found a way to win late and that's all the matters.
Round 1:
Good striking to start things out in this one. Pepey up against the cage and he jumps into a triangle choke as the fighters fall to the mat. Fili is trapped as Pepey cinches up the hold while throwing some elbows to the head as well. Fili is surviving but Pepey adjusts, pulls down on the head and Fili taps! What an unbelievable finish.
Official result: Godofredo Pepey def. Andre Fili by submission (triangle choke) at 3:14, R1
Analysis:
This was an early favorite for fight of the night and Godofredo Pepey certainly did his part to earn a bonus. Pepey jumped into a triangle choke and then stayed patient until he finally got the move locked up before Fili was forced to tap. It wasn't long ago Pepey was 1-3 in the UFC, but now he's won his last three fights in a row, each more spectacular than the last. A flying knee, a mounted triangle choke and then a flying triangle choke -- there's no telling how this kid will finish his next fight, but it's a guarantee the world will be watching.
Round 1:
Trinaldo gets a big lift and the slam to put Arreola down on the mat just about a minute into the round. Trinold staying very active on top, pressing down hard on Arreola's hips with short elbows inside. Trinaldo has a cut from some short punches courtesy of Arreola, but he's just too much on top, very dominant in round one.
10-9 Francisco Trinaldo
Round 2:
Arreola trying to get his hands going but he makes the mistake of throwing a kick and Trinaldo quickly traps the leg and takes him down. Trinaldo staying very active and just punishing Arreola from the top. Arreola stuck against the cage and just not doing anything offensively or attempting to get out from the bottom.
10-9 Francisco Trinaldo
Round 3:
Trinaldo decides to stand this round and he's doing just as good on his feet. He's nailing Arreola with some big, hard shots. To his credit, Arreola somehow eats the shots, but he's not doing much else. Trinaldo shoots in for another takedown with a minute to go and it seems he's going to cruise through to victory in this one.
10-9 Francisco Trinaldo
FOX sports scores it 30-27 for Francisco Trinaldo
Official result: Francisco Trinaldo def. Akbarh Arreola by unanimous decision (30-27 on all cards)
Analysis:
Trinaldo with a completely one-sided performance over Akbarh Arreola to get his second victory in a row. Trinaldo was stifling with his takedowns and mat control and if that wasn't enough, he finally opened up with his striking in round three and he was just as effective there as Arreola offered very little in the way of counters on the feet or the ground. Complete performance for Trinaldo to cap off the prelims.
Round 1:
Souza using his range here, huge reach advantage over Kikuno. Souza jumps forward with a right hand and Kikuno just goes face first into the mat! Kikuno was trying to wrestle the referee after he woke up. He was completely out.
Official result: Kevin Souza def. Katsunori Kikuno by knockout at 1:31, R1
Analysis:
Kevin Souza is going to be an interesting fighter to watch in the featherweight division. He's got long reach and serious power at 145-pounds. He changed levels on a shorter opponent and just rocketed in with a right hand and knocked Kikuno out cold. He's now 3-0 in the UFC and with this latest knockout, it seems like it's time to see how he could do against better competition in the division. So far, Souza has looked unstoppable.
Round 1:
Silva shooting for a takedown off a kick from Dober, but they are locked against the cage. Dober just firing away on the feet as he traps Silva against the cage, but he can't seem to land on the Brazilian. Dober swinging a lot but coming up with air most of the time. Struggling to get inside on Silva but still the far more active fighter.
10-9 Drew Dober
Round 2:
Silva finally gets a takedown to open round 2 and they are on the ground right in the middle of the Octagon. Dober scrambles but gets locked in a guillotine choke from Silva. Dober is defending and the referee steps in and stops the fight. What is going on? Dober was completely fine and there was no tap out and he was not in trouble whatsoever. Awful
Official result: Leonardo Mafra def. Drew Dober by submission (guillotine choke) at 2:45, R2
Analysis:
Possibly the worst stoppage in the history of the sport. The referee stepped in to stop the fight when Drew Dober was just working out of the submission and he was clearly in no trouble from the choke. Hopefully there's an investigation by the Brazilian MMA commission and this fight is overturned because Dober just got robbed.
After the fight, Dober is all class in response and offers to come back to Brazil for a rematch to finish what he started this time around.
Round 1:
Carrizosa lands a quick right hand counter that puts Mafra down. He's able to recover and they are back up and striking. Mafra lands a nasty left-right combo and he rattles Carrizosa. Mafra with another big left with two minutes to go in the round. Mafra with a takedown but quickly lets Carrizosa back up. Mafra with a big flurry to end the round.
10-9 Leonardo Mafra
Round 2:
Mafra picking up where he left off in round 1 with similar strikes being doled out in round 2. Carrizosa now looking for a takedown but can't get it. Mafra mixing things up well with kicks to the body and a heavy barrage of punches. Mafra with a big takedown with just over two minutes to go in the round. Mafra with another takedown and ground control before the round ends.
10-9 Leonardo Mafra
Round 3:
Mafra with another takedown to start round 3. Carrizosa trying to find an opening from the bottom with a couple of submission attempts, but nothing doing. Mafra maintaining good control on top. Mafra gets to mount and starts looking for an opening to get the finish but instead they get back up again before another takedown. Mafra back to mount again with hardly any effort at all. Mafra just in complete control until the final horn sounds.
10-9 Leonardo Mafra
FOX Sports scores it 30-27 for Leonardo Mafra
Official result: Leonardo Mafra def. Cain Carrizosa by unanimious decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Analysis:
A quick knockdown early didn't stop Leonardo Mafra from coming back and just dominating Cain Carrizosa for the majority of all three rounds. Mafra was strong standing and then absolutely dominating on the mat. The only thing that could have made the performance better for Mafra was getting the finish.
Round 1:
Giagos scores an early takedown and quickly moves to mount where he starts raining down punches. Giagos takes the back and locks up the rear naked choke. De Oliveira starts to go out and has no choice but to tap out. Impressive win for Giagos.
Official result: Christos Giagos def. Jorge de Oliveira by submission (rear naked choke) at 3:12, R1
Analysis:
Solid one round drubbing courtesy of Christos Giagos. He had a rough matchup for his first fight against Gilbert Burns, but wasted no time making short work of de Oliveira in Brazil. Giagos had some very solid wins before coming to the UFC and now he's back on track with his first victory inside the Octagon.
Round 1:
Serrano scores an early flash knockdown, but Syler recovers quickly. Syler finally finds his range late in the round to pop Serrano and back him off a bit. Syler has a cut over his right eye with some blood trickling down his face. Serrano lands a big takedown just before the round ends.
10-9 Freddy Serrano
Round 2:
Not a ton of action this round although Syler has finally found his range and he's able to tag Serrano with a few shots. A lot of one punch, one kick exchanges with no follow through from either fighter. Serrano still landing the better power shots.
10-9 Freddy Serrano
Round 3:
Serrano with a quick takedown to open round 3 but they only stay on the ground for a matter of moments. Fight is paused to allow the doctor to take a look at Syler's eye, fight continues. Serrano opens up with a huge uppercut and Syler goes down and out! He was unconscious before he hit the mat.
Official result: Freddy Serrano def. Bentley Syler by KO at 1:34, R3
Analysis:
Neither of these guys made a great first impression early, but Freddy Serrano showed up late with a huge uppercut knockout to end the fight. Serrano is a former Olympian in wrestling so if he can stay busy and show improvement, he could be a fun addition to the flyweight division.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT: MAIA VS. LAFLARE
MAIN CARD (10 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1)
MAIN EVENT: Demian Maia vs. Ryan LaFlare
Erick Silva vs. Josh Koscheck
Leonardo Santos vs. Tony Martin
Amanda Nunes vs. Shayna Baszler
Gilbert Burns vs. Alex Oliveira
Godofredo Pepey vs. Andre Fili
PRELIMS ON FOX SPORTS 2 at 8 p.m. ET
Francisco Trinaldo vs. Akbarh Arreola
Kevin Souza vs. Katsunori Kikuno
Leandro Silva vs. Drew Dober
Leonardo Mafra vs. Cain Carrizosa
EARLY PRELIMS ON UFC FIGHT PASS at 7 p.m. ET
Jorge de Oliveira vs. Christos Giagos
Bentley Syler vs. Fredy Serrano
