UFC Fight Night Report: Jailton Almeida submits Jairzinho Rozenstruik in the first round
On Saturday afternoon, the UFC held a Fight Night event from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The card was headlined by a fight in the heavyweight division, as the ninth-ranked Jairzinho Rozenstruik looked to defend his place in the division’s top ten against Jailton Almeida. Almeida made his UFC debut just last year but has quickly compiled a record of 4-0 in the promotion, absolutely dominating all four of his opponents to this point. While Almeida has certainly been impressive, Rozenstruik marked a significant step up in competition, and this would mark Almeida’s first five-round fight as well. This card also featured a notable fight in the light heavyweight division, as Anthony Smith faced Johnny Walker, who had won his previous two bouts in impressive fashion. Additionally, Matt Brown stepped into the UFC octagon for a thirtieth time, facing off against the winner of the eleventh season of The Ultimate Fighter, Court McGee.
The commentary team for this card consisted of Jon Anik, Dominick Cruz, and Daniel Cormier. Performance of the Night bonuses were awarded to Ian Garry, Matt Brown, Jailton Almeida, and Carlos Ulberg. The announced attendance for this event was 18,712, with a gate of $2.09 million.
QUICK RESULTS:
PRELIMINARY CARD:
- Tainara Lisboa def. Jessica-Rose Clark by rear naked choke at 4:20 of Round 3
- Bryan Battle def. Gabriel Green by KO at 0:14 of Round 1
- Mandy Bohm def. Ji Yeon Kim by split decision following an illegal knee at 1:55 of Round 3 (28-27, 28-27, 27-28)
- Douglas Silva de Andrade def. Cody Stamann by unanimous decision (29-28 all)
- Karl Williams def. Chase Sherman by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Matt Brown def. Court McGee by KO at 4:09 of Round 1
MAIN CARD:
- Alex Morono def. Tim Means by guillotine choke at 2:09 of Round 2
- Carlos Ulberg def. Ihor Potieria by TKO at 2:09 of Round 1
- Ian Garry def. Daniel Rodriguez by TKO at 2:57 of Round 1
- Johnny Walker def. Anthony Smith by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
- Jailton Almeida def. Jairzinho Rozenstruik by rear naked choke at 3:43 of Round 1
JESSICA-ROSE CLARK (11-8, 1 NC, 135.5) VS TAINARA LISBOA (5-2, 134) – BANTAMWEIGHT
The fighters traded hands to begin the fight, with Clark seemingly getting the better of their exchanges throughout the opening minute. Clark opted to change levels as she attempted to take Lisboa to the ground, but Lisboa was able to defend the attempt, landing a solid knee to the body in the process. The fighters spent a lengthy period of time wrestling against the cage, much to the crowd’s disappointment, but Lisboa eventually tripped Clark to the ground, taking top position with a minute to work. Lisboa was not terribly active from top position, but she did maintain the position until the end of the round.
Lisboa hurt Clark with a short combination early in the second round, and Clark shot for a takedown to relieve the pressure. Clark was successful, but could not keep Lisboa on the ground, and Lisboa quickly returned to her feet. Lisboa applied forward pressure, where she was able to catch Clark with numerous hard right hands. Eventually, Lisboa’s offence began to overwhelm Clark, and she tied Lisboa up against the cage to slow her down until time expired in the round.
Lisboa began the final round with another hard right hand, but Clark was able to take the fight to the ground after Lisboa lost her balance. Lisboa threw up some cutting elbows from her back, slicing Clark open, as Clark looked to posture up. Clark fired back with an elbow of her own that seemed to cut Lisboa open, but Lisboa attempted to catch her with an armbar, slowing Clark’s progress momentarily. Lisboa escaped the position with a minute remaining in the round, taking Clark’s back as she attempted to return to her feet, and Lisboa immediately locked in the rear naked choke, forcing Clark to submit.
WINNER: Tainara Lisboa by rear naked choke at 4:20 of Round 3
Clark seemed content to trade hands with Lisboa early in the fight, but as the bout progressed, Lisboa began to hurt Clark with some of her bigger shots, which led to Clark opting to wrestle with Lisboa instead. Lisboa’s takedown defense largely held up throughout the fight, but when Clark finally managed to get the fight to the ground, it was Lisboa who did the more effective work on the ground off of her back, and she eventually escaped the position to secure the late finish in impressive fashion. It was a solid performance against a more experienced opponent, and Lisboa appeared to be a fairly well-rounded martial artist here. This fight marked Lisboa’s UFC debut, and her third career win by submission.
BRYAN BATTLE (8-2, 173) VS GABRIEL GREEN (11-4, 170.5) – WELTERWEIGHT
Battle missed weight by 2 lbs, and was fined 20% of his purse.
Green came out swinging like an absolute madman, and immediately paid for his strategy, as Battle caught him with a counter right hand on his way in, knocking Green out cold.
WINNER: Bryan Battle by KO at 0:14 of Round 1
Rushing your opponent is a very dangerous strategy in mixed martial arts, and it did not work out for Gabriel Green here. As Battle stated in his post-fight interview, this is not typically how Green fights, and Battle was certainly caught off guard by Green’s strategy, but he remained composed and fired back hard, securing one of the quicker knockout finishes in UFC history. This was a huge win for Battle in front of his hometown crowd in Charlotte, and despite the weight miss, this was a great way to get back on track for Battle after a one-sided loss to Rinat Fakhretdinov in his last fight. After the fight, Battle called out Ian Garry, who fought later on this card.
JI YEON KIM (9-6-2, 126) VS MANDY BOHM (7-2, 1 NC, 126) – FLYWEIGHT
Kim immediately wobbled Bohm with a right hand but was taken down by Bohm just a moment later. Bohm worked her way onto Kim’s back, where she attempted to sink in a rear naked choke, but the angle was slightly off, allowing Kim to turn into Bohm, taking top position. Kim decided to transition to the back of Bohm, but Bohm was able to roll into top position in a similar fashion to how Kim escaped the position earlier. Bohm was able to maintain her position until time in the round expired, landing a few short elbows in the process. 10-9 Kim.
Bohm pressured forward with a series of short elbows near the start of the second round, backing Kim into the cage. Eventually, it was Kim who took the fight back to the ground, and she began to work from half-guard with three minutes remaining. Kim was not terribly active from top position, and was eventually stood up due to her inactivity. Bohm wasted no time in shooting for another takedown, but Kim countered with a guillotine attempt. Kim did not finish the submission before time expired and kicked Bohm after the round in frustration. A point was deducted from Kim due to her actions. 19-18 Bohm.
Kim was searching for a takedown of her own at the start of the second round. Bohm posted up with her arm, and in another instance of poor decision-making, Kim illegally kneed Bohm in the head. The fight was waived off, and the fight went to the scorecards as a result. Kim was deducted yet another point as a result of the illegal knee. I scored the fight 28-27 for Bohm, as I scored two of the three rounds for Kim, but two points were deducted from her.
WINNER: Mandy Bohm by split decision following an illegal knee at 1:55 of Round 3 (28-27, 28-27, 27-28)
It took an extremely long time for the scorecards to be tallied, as referee Larry Carter deducted that last point from Kim after the third-round scorecards had already been turned in by the judges. This entire fight was a complete debacle, and while Kim appeared to be the slightly more skillful fighter, she made numerous mistakes throughout the fight, ultimately losing multiple points due to her recklessness. It was a poor fight, and the fight’s lengthy (and controversial) conclusion led to Jon Anik stating that the broadcast will mercifully be moving on, assuring the audience that Cody Stamann and Douglas Silva de Andrade will be rushed into the cage to keep the card moving. Bohm is improved to 1-2 in the UFC following this win, and Kim has now lost five consecutive fights in the promotion.
CODY STAMANN (21-5-1, 139) VS DOUGLAS SILVA DE ANDRADE (28-5, 1 NC, 139.5) – CATCHWEIGHT
The fighters traded body shots early, and Silva de Andrade defended a takedown attempt from Stamann. Silva de Andrade connected with a solid leg kick, before reaching in with a right hook that Stamann dodged. A looping right hand from Silva de Andrade partially connected, before Stamann lifted Silva de Andrade into the air, dumping him onto the ground. An illegal up kick from Silva de Andrade resulted in the fighters being stood up, with no points being deducted from Silva de Andrade, which was a decision that certainly benefited Silva de Andrade, despite it being Silva de Andrade who committed the illegal action. Silva de Andrade completed a takedown of his own before the end of the round, and landed a few solid short combinations on the feet, as he continued to dig into the body as well. 10-9 Silva de Andrade.
Silva de Andrade continued to get the better of Stamann on the feet, while largely defending Stamann’s attempts to get the fight to the ground. Silva de Andrade was really loading up on his shots, and his shots to the body were particularly brutal. As the round progressed, Stamann began to find a bit more success on the feet, landing some of his counters with power, but I thought Silva de Andrade was doing a good job of avoiding the majority of Stamann’s lengthier combinations. Stamann shot for a takedown at the end of the round, but Silva de Andrade fended him off, ending the round on his feet. 20-18 Silva de Andrade.
Stamann began the final round with a solid counter hook, catching Silva de Andrade on is way in. Stamann seemed to have the edge in terms of cardio, and he was finding success whenever he pressured forward. Eventually, a quick hook from Stamann rocked Silva de Andrade badly, and Stamann dropped him moments later, taking top position as he looked to finish the fight. Silva de Andrade escaped to his feet with a minute remaining in the fight, and he started swinging wildly as he attempted to finish the fight, but he was gassed, and Stamann was able to avoid the majority of Silva de Andrade’s shots. In the end, the fight went the distance, and I scored the fight 29-28 for Silva de Andrade.
WINNER: Douglas Silva de Andrade by unanimous decision (29-28 all)
Unsurprisingly, this was a very entertaining fight. Accuracy was Stamann’s enemy early, as Silva de Andrade’s footwork was troubling Stamann, but as the fight progressed, Silva de Andrade slowed, allowing Stamann to punch his way back into it, rocking Silva de Andrade badly in the fights final round. The crowd was upset with the decision, but I thought Silva de Andrade did more than enough to win the first two rounds, doubling Stamann up on the strike count while generally landing with more power. Silva de Andrade’s UFC record improved to 7-5 after this win.
KARL WILLIAMS (8-1, 239.5) VS CHASE SHERMAN (16-11, 254) – HEAVYWEIGHT
Williams quickly shot for a takedown, but Sherman was able to keep the fight on the feet, where he landed a straight right hand. The fighters traded leg kicks before Williams cracked Sherman with a right hand of his own. A right hook from Sherman caught Williams on his way in, before a shot from Williams appeared to open a small cut above Sherman’s left eyebrow. Williams was successful on his next attempt to bring Sherman down, and he ended the round in top position, throwing down ground and pound strikes. 10-9 Williams.
Williams began the second round with a heavy combination of hooks, and he connected with a heavy left hand that Sherman just ate as he continued to pressure forward. A low kick from Sherman got a huge reaction out of Williams, who attempted to respond with one of his own. Sherman realized that Williams’ leg was compromised, and he began attacking that leg with fight-ending intent. Williams attempted to bring the fight to the ground, but Sherman was able to defend Williams’ attempts. Towards the end of the round, a knee from Williams landed low, and Sherman crumpled to the ground in pain, as Sherman was given time to recover. Sherman was able to continue fighting, and the round concluded shortly after its resumption. 19-19.
Williams connected with a hard right hand in the opening seconds of round three. Williams was doing the better work on the feet early in the third round but began to crumble after Sherman went back to attacking the lead leg of Williams, forcing Williams to shoot for takedowns. Sherman’s takedown defense continued to hold up, and the remainder of the fight played out on the feet. Williams found success with his jab, and he would land the occasional straight right hand with power, but Sherman was the fighter pressuring forward, and his leg kicks continued to be the most damaging weapon for either man. In the end, the fight went the distance, and I narrowly scored the fight 29-28 in favor of Karl Williams.
WINNER: Karl Williams by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
William’s goal was clearly to get this fight to the ground, and while he was largely unsuccessful with his wrestling-heavy approach, he did find success on the feet. Sherman was the advancing fighter throughout the bout, but Williams was the one really committing to his attacks, catching Sherman on his way in with a number of flurries. Sherman had Williams in considerable trouble with the accumulated damage from his leg kicks but was not quite able to capitalize on that damage in the third round, and in the end, Williams earned the win with his offensive output. William’s UFC record now stands at 2-0 following this win.
MATT BROWN (23-19, 170) VS COURT MCGEE (21-11, 170.5) – WELTERWEIGHT
McGee brought the fight to the ground about ninety seconds into the bout, taking Brown’s back momentarily. Brown quickly escaped to his feet, but McGee pressed him against the cage for a considerable portion of the round. Eventually, the fighters broke apart, and as McGee stepped forward with a right hand, Brown intercepted him with a perfect right hand of his own, knocking McGee unconscious and walking off.
WINNER: Matt Brown by KO at 4:09 of Round 1
This was very much a battle between two veterans of the sport, with over seventy combined fights between the two fighters. McGee found early success with his wrestling, but in the end, it was Matt Brown scoring yet another huge knockout, walking off after landing the shot in impressive fashion. It marked Brown’s 13th knockout in the UFC, which ties Derrick Lewis for the all-time record in the promotion. Brown is now 42 years of age, but in Brown’s post-fight interview he made it clear that he is looking to become the sole owner of that all-time knockout record, and we can look forward to Brown returning to the octagon as he looks to accomplish that impressively violent feat.
TIM MEANS (32-14-1, 1 NC, 170.5) VS ALEX MORONO (22-8, 169.5) – WELTERWEIGHT
Morono connected with a pair of heavy right hooks to begin the fight, but Means took the shots well as he pressed forward, catching Morono with straight shots down the middle. Means landed a knee to the body, as well as a short hook as the fighters broke from a clinch exchange. Means found a home for a straight left hand, before landing a pair of left hands to the body. Morono’s looping shots were catching Means frequently, but I thought that Means was doing more damage whenever he landed, despite perhaps being behind in terms of activity. Means ended the round with a hard uppercut that landed just as the horn sounded. It was a close round, but I gave the edge to Means.
Morono partially landed a head kick before swarming Means with a flurry of hooks in the opening minute of round two. Means changed levels, taking the fight to the ground, but Morono quickly escaped to the feet, where he landed a straight right hand. Means opted to shoot for another takedown after a failed spinning back fist from Morono, but this time Morono was able to counter with a guillotine choke. Morono had the submission locked in tight, and Means was forced to submit.
WINNER: Alex Morono by guillotine choke at 2:09 of Round 2
Means did a good job throughout the first round of mixing up his offense, but Morono started off the second round aggressively, forcing Means to shoot for takedowns. Morono has finished opponents with the guillotine choke before, and he quickly locked one in after Means’ second takedown attempt of the round, finishing the fight. Morono has quietly won five of his last six fights, and he has done it against fairly strong competition. Even his lone loss throughout the stretch came in a fight that he was clearly winning before being finished by Santiago Ponzinibbio in the final round. Morono is inching closer to ranked competition, and I would not be opposed to seeing him face one of the lower ranked top-fifteen fighters in his next bout, such as Michel Pereira or Michael Chiesa.
CARLOS ULBERG (7-1, 204.5) VS IHOR POTIERIA (19-3, 204.5) – LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
Early in the fight, Ulberg caught Potieria with a left hook as Potieria rushed in, dropping him hard. Ulberg followed Potieria to the ground, where he threw down brutal ground and pound shots until he decided to get up and walk away, effectively stopping the fight himself as referee Keith Peterson was a bit slow to waive the fight off.
WINNER: Carlos Ulberg by TKO at 2:09 of Round 1
Ulberg dropped and stopped Potieria in what was effectively the first real exchange of the fight. It was a great finish, although referee Keith Peterson was a bit slow to stop the fight, and faced the wrath of Dominick Cruz on commentary as a result, whose enteral grudge against Keith Peterson will likely continue until their respective deaths. Regardless, Ulberg has now won four consecutive fights, and has stopped his last three opponents in the first round. Light Heavyweight is an extremely shallow division, and Ulberg is quickly approaching ranked competition, where I expect he will be competitive with the division’s more established names.
DANIEL RODRIGUEZ (17-3, 170) VS IAN GARRY (11-0, 170.5) – WELTERWEIGHT
Both fighters landed solid shots in the opening minute of the first round, trading straight shots. Garry caught Rodriguez with a well-timed head kick, and he quickly realized that Rodriguez was hurt, swarming him with shots, and sending him to the floor. Garry followed him down, where he proceeded to throw down ground and pound strikes until the fight was stopped.
WINNER: Ian Garry by TKO at 2:57 of Round 1
The head kick that hurt Rodriguez was perfectly timed, and Garry capitalized immediately, giving Rodriguez no time to recover. While it was a quick fight, I thought this was arguably Garry’s most impressive performance in the UFC to date, and he became the first fighter to stop Rodriguez with strikes here, which says a great deal about Garry’s power. After the fight, Garry called out Neal Magny, calling him the division’s gatekeeper, and promising to knock him out. Garry is now 5-0 in the UFC, with three finishes, and will likely be a ranked welterweight after this win.
ANTHONY SMITH (36-17, 205.5) VS JOHNNY WALKER (20-7, 205.5) – LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
Walker seemed to hurt the lead leg of Anthony Smith with a leg kick, and he began attacking the leg as Walker attempted to finish the fight early. Smith started firing back with heavy hooks in an attempt to relieve the pressure, and he was successful, catching Walker with enough hard shots to slow the fight down. A kick from Walker caught Smith low, and the fight was paused as Smith was given time to recover. As the action resumed, Smith pressured forward with a flurry of strikes, but a pair of counter hooks from Walker rocked him, sending Smith to a knee momentarily. Walker stepped in as he looked to capitalize on the moment, but Smith committed to his takedown attempt and brought Walker to the ground, where he took top position until time expired in the round, landing some short elbows in the process. 10-9 Walker.
Smith cracked Walker with a straight right hand at the start of the second round. Smith was doing good work on the feet, tagging Walker with numerous hooks from distance, and Walker seemed to be a step slower in this second round. Smith caught Walker with a left hook on his way in, as Walker continued to attack the lead leg of Smith with calf kicks. Walker attempted a cartwheel kick at one point, but Smith was able to block the wild maneuver. Smith and Walker were having a conversation in the octagon throughout the rounds last minute, as the crowd showered them in boos due to their late inactivity. 19-19.
The action was paused yet again in the first minute of the third round after Walker inadvertently poked Smith in the eyes. A big right hand from Anthony Smith created a big reaction out of Walker, who went on the retreat momentarily before he pressed forward yet again with a series of leg kicks. Smith’s leg eventually gave out on him, and he desperately chased after a single leg as he attempted to bring the fight to the ground, but Walker remained on his feet, and Smith was forced to stand with Walker. Walker opened up a cut near the right eye of Smith, who did not seem to have much left to offer Walker by this point in the fight. Walker landed a big flying knee before time expired in the fight. 29-28 Walker.
WINNER: Johnny Walker by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
The first round of this fight was an entertaining one, but the pace slowed dramatically by round two, and eventually, the damage to Anthony Smith’s lead leg led to him largely being a stationary target as Walker pulled away with the fight in round three. It was a rough outing for Anthony Smith, who really had trouble getting going throughout the bout, and he will fall out of title contendership with this loss, as Walker will likely be taking his place in the Light Heavyweight top five. For Walker, this was his biggest win to date, and Walker exchanged respectful words with Light Heavyweight Champion Jamahal Hill outside of the cage, who defeated Walker by knockout last year. Walker has now won three consecutive fights, his longest win streak since 2019.
JAIRZINHO ROZENSTRUIK (13-4, 265) VS JAILTON ALMEIDA (14-4, 231) – HEAVYWEIGHT
Rozenstruik defended an immediate takedown attempt from Almeida, but Almeida was successful on his second attempt. Almeida is always strong from top position, and he easily pressed Rozenstruik to the ground, where he landed numerous short strikes. With ninety seconds remaining in the round, Almeida took Rozenstruik’s back, where he quickly locked in a rear naked choke, finishing the fight.
WINNER: Jailton Almeida by rear naked choke at 3:43 of Round 1
All four of Almeida’s previous UFC bouts have looked very similar, and this fight continued that trend, as Almeida just took Rozenstruik down and ran through him here. Almeida is clearly several steps ahead of the competition at heavyweight as far as his grappling is concerned, and I would not mind if we skip through some of the more predictable fights for him at heavyweight, and go straight toward a matchup against a genuine contender in the division, such as Curtis Blaydes or Ciryl Gane. With that being said, Almeida called out Tai Tuivasa after the fight, who is the sixth-ranked heavyweight contender. Tuivasa is the sixth-ranked heavyweight contender, but Almeida will unquestionably be the massive favorite going into that fight if it eventually comes together.
