UFC 283 Report: Jamahal Hill defeats Glover Teixeira to win the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. Moreno defeats Figueiredo in the fourth bout
On Saturday night, UFC 283 took place at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This was the UFC’s first event in Brazil since March of 2020, where a Fight Night card headlined by Kevin Lee and Charles Oliveira took place in an empty arena, which was notably the first UFC event to be altered due to the effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic. The UFC marked their return to Brazil with two title fights, headlined by Glover Teixeira looking to reclaim the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship against Jamahal Hill. Teixeira lost his UFC Light Heavyweight title to Jiří Procházka in June of 2022, but Procházka was forced to vacate the title due to injury, and as a result, a fight between Magomed Ankalaev and Jan Błachowicz was turned into a title bout, a fight that ultimately resulted in a draw. With the championship still vacated, Jamahal Hill was removed from his scheduled bout against Anthony Smith to face Teixeira for the title here. The co-main event saw UFC Flyweight Champion, Deiveson Figueiredo, attempt to defend his title against Brandon Moreno, in the fourth meeting between these two fighters. Their rivalry began in December of 2020 when Figueiredo and Moreno fought to a draw in one of the best bouts in flyweight history. Months later, the fighters rematched, and Moreno was able to submit Figueiredo to claim his flyweight title, which led to a trilogy fight between the two in 2022, where Figueiredo reclaimed his flyweight title, beating Moreno by decision. Figueiredo was forced to sit out the majority of the last year due to injury, and an interim title was introduced in his absence. Moreno stopped Kai Kara France in the third round of their bout to win that Interim title, and the “quadrilogy” bout against Figueiredo was scheduled as a result. This card also featured the retirement bout for Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, who stepped into the octagon for the final time, facing Ihor Potieria.
The commentary team for this card consisted of Jon Anik, Paul Felder, and Daniel Cormier. Performance of the Night bonuses were awarded to Ismael Bonfim and Jailton Almeida. Fight of the Night bonuses went out to Jamahal Hill and Glover Teixeira.
QUICK RESULTS:
PRELIMINARY CARD:
- Daniel Marcos def. Saimon Oliveira by TKO at 2:18 of Round 2
- Josiane Nunes def. Zarah Fairn by unanimous decision (29-28 all)
- Nicolas Dalby def. Warlley Alves by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
- Ismael Bonfim def. Terrance McKinney by KO at 2:17 of Round 2
- Cody Stamann def. Luan Lacerda by unanimous decision (29-28 all)
- Jailton Almeida def. Shamil Abdurakhimov by TKO at 2:56 of Round 2
- Gabriel Bonfim def. Mounir Lazzez by guillotine choke at 0:49 of Round 1
- Thiago Moises def. Melquizael Costa by rear naked choke at 4:05 of Round 2
- Brunno Ferreira def. Gregory Rodrigues by KO at 4:13 of Round 1
- Ihor Potieria def. Maurício “Shogun” Rua by TKO at 4:05 of Round 1
MAIN CARD
- Johnny Walker def. Paul Craig by TKO at 2:16 of Round 1
- Jessica Andrade def. Lauren Murphy by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-26)
- Gilbert Burns def. Neil Magny by arm triangle at 4:15 of Round 1
- Brandon Moreno def. Deiveson Figueiredo by TKO at 5:00 of Round 3 to win the UFC Flyweight Championship
- Jamahal Hill def. Glover Teixeira by unanimous decision (50-44 all) to win the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
SAIMON OLIVEIRA (18-4, 136) VS DANIEL MARCOS (13-0, 136) – BANTAMWEIGHT
Oliveira clinched Marcos up against the cage to begin the fight, and he held him there for the first half of the round. Eventually, Oliveira broke away with a spinning back fist, and Marcos began to pressure forward. Marcos landed a heavy body kick and caught Oliveira with a combination of punches after getting a reaction. Oliveira attempted about three spinning backfists in a row, but was not able to entirely find his target with any of them, and Marcos defended a takedown attempt to end the round.
Oliveira continued to attempt spinning backfists at every opportunity in the second round, and Marcos countered strongly, landing a hard shot to the body. Marcos was doing excellent work whenever he attacked Oliveira with combinations, and his bodywork was really taking its toll on Oliveira, who eventually crumbled from a hard knee to the body, ending the fight.
WINNER: Daniel Marcos by TKO at 2:18 of Round 2
Oliveira’s strategy was a wild one, throwing countless spinning attacks throughout the short duration of the fight. Oliveira gassed out quickly as a result, and Marcos capitalized, attacking the body viciously while swarming Oliveira with relentless pressure. Marcos looked very strong on the feet here, and I thought this was a great performance in his UFC debut, in hostile territory as well, with the Brazilian crowd showcasing no love to the non-Brazilian fighters throughout this card.
JOSIANE NUNES (9-1, 145.5) VS ZARAH FAIRN (6-4, 146) – FEATHERWEIGHT
The fighters immediately started trading wildly, with both fighters landing strong shots. Fairn quickly began to pull ahead by landing numerous uppercuts that were hurting Nunes, as well as body kicks that were drawing reactions. Fairn swarmed Nunes with strikes as she attempted to get Nunes out of the fight early, but Nunes was able to weather the storm and fire back. The right eye of Nunes was starting to swell from Fairn’s jab, but the pace of the bout was starting to wear on Fairn, allowing Nunes to mount a comeback. Nunes ended the round strongly, but I still thought this was a round for Fairn. 10-9 Fairn.
Nunes went right back on the attack to begin the second round, attacking Fairn with numerous superman punches. Nunes threw a left hand to the body before wrapping Fairn up in the clinch, where they spent a considerable portion of the round. I didn’t think that either fighter did measurable damage from the position, but Nunes largely prevented Fairn from landing anything significant, and despite a fairly even strike count, I gave this round to Nunes. 19-19.
Nunes continued to apply pressure in round three, and she eventually landed a powerful left hand that stunned Fairn. Nunes went on the attack as she attempted to finish Fairn, and while she landed some strong shots to the head and body, Fairn was able to stay in the fight and recover. In the fights final minute, Nunes landed one last heavy left hand that likely sealed the round, and the fight ultimately went the distance. 29-28 Nunes.
WINNER: Josiane Nunes by unanimous decision (29-28 all)
Fairn had a huge size advantage here, and she was able to use that advantage effectively in the first round, working her jab to keep Nunes off of her, while landing brutal knees to the body that were clearly hurting Nunes. Unfortunately for Fairn, the pace of the fight was frantic in the opening round, and her cardio betrayed her quickly, allowing Nunes to mount a comeback that led to her taking control of the remainder of this bout. Nunes is now 3-0 in the UFC, and she has won nine consecutive fights.
WARLLEY ALVES (14-5, 171) VS NICOLAS DALBY (20-4-1, 2 NC, 170) – WELTERWEIGHT
Alves quickly went on the attack in this fight, but a slip from Alves led to Dalby initiating the first clinch exchange of the bout against the cage. Dalby landed some solid combinations to the body in the clinch, before the fighters broke apart, where Alves connected with a heavy leg kick. The fighters traded right hands, and Alves threw a heavy kick to the right side of Dalby’s body. Dalby connected with a body kick of his own, as well as multiple jabs before the horn sounded, signaling the end of the first round. 10-9 Dalby.
Alves shot for a takedown in the second round, and Dalby countered with a triangle attempt. Alves avoided the submission and took top position with four minutes to work. Dalby escaped to his feet, and he went on the attack, pressuring Alves into the cage where he searched for a takedown. Alves defended the attempt, and the fighters traded big right hands. Dalby started to really pick up his activity, landing solid combinations as Alves attempted to respond with power shots. As time was running out in the round, Alves grazed Dalby’s eye, and he was given time to recover from the poke. 20-18 Dalby.
The corner of Alves told him he was in need of a finish to win this fight, and he began the first round aggressively, before wrapping Dalby up in the clinch. Alves was landing good shots whenever the fighters separated, but they were spending too much time in the clinch, and time was quickly starting to run out on Alves. Alves landed a powerful right hand, but Dalby was able to take the shot and respond with one of his own. Dalby showcased an impressive chin throughout this round, and the fight went the distance. 29-28 Dalby.
WINNER: Nicolas Dalby by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
Alves brought the fight to Dalby whenever he had the opportunity, but Dalby’s output gave him the edge throughout the first two rounds. Dalby did an excellent job of mixing up his combinations, and showcased solid grappling, wrapping Alves up whenever it felt as though Alves was taking control of the fight on the feet. I’m unsure which of the first two rounds one judge saw for Alves, but Alves was certainly throwing all of his shots with power, and I can see that swaying the judges, even though I personally thought the two rounds were fairly clear for Dalby. Dalby has now compiled a record of 4-1 (1 NC) since returning to the UFC in 2019.
ISMAEL BONFIM (18-3, 156) VS TERRANCE MCKINNEY (13-4, 156) – LIGHTWEIGHT
Bonfim landed a very heavy counter hook early in the fight, and he changed levels in search of a takedown just moments later. McKinney was able to keep the fight on the feet, and the two fighters began to wrestle in the clinch against the cage. A quick right hand dropped McKinney as the fighters broke apart, but he recovered quickly, and the fighters continued to grapple against the fence. McKinney pulled Bonfim down to the ground, but his positioning was not ideal, allowing Bonfim to take top position. McKinney scrambled to his feet, and Bonfim threw a wild head kick, which resulted in him tripping down to the ground, and McKinney taking top position to end the round.
Bonfim went on the attack early in round two, throwing vicious hooks and uppercuts to the head and body. McKinney attempted to take the fight to the ground, but Bonfim defended the attempt, and the bout continued to play out on the feet. A huge right hand from Bonfim knocked McKinney’s mouthpiece out, and he followed that up with a beautifully timed flying knee that knocked McKinney out cold.
WINNER: Ismael Bonfim by KO at 2:17 of Round 2
This was an absolutely brutal knockout. Terrance McKinney is an extremely dangerous opponent for anybody making their UFC debut, but Bonfim looked phenomenal here, just overwhelming McKinney with his speed, power, and aggression. It felt as though McKinney was never really able to get in this one, and all the credit really has to go to Bonfim who just fought an excellent fight here, complete with a highlight reel knockout that we may very well still be talking about at the end of the year, when reflecting on the best finishes of 2023.
LUAN LACERDA (12-1, 136) VS CODY STAMANN (20-5-1, 135.5) – BANTAMWEIGHT
Lacerda opened up with a leg kick as Stamann circled, looking to gauge his opponent’s timing. Lacerda attacked the body of Stamann with kicks, while Stamann looked to counter with takedown attempts whenever possible. Both fighters remained on their feet throughout the round, however, largely throwing kicks from at range. I thought that Lacerda’s offense was more effective, and I scored the round (narrowly) in his favor. 10-9 Lacerda.
Stamann started the second round strongly with a combination of kicks to the legs and body. They traded strikes as the round progressed, with both fighters digging into the body while throwing heavy hooks to the head at the end of their respective combinations. I thought that Stamann’s speed advantage served him well in this round, allowing him to get in and out with his combinations without taking too much damage in return, and Lacerda was falling slightly behind in terms of activity. 19-19.
Both fighters were slightly hesitant to begin the final round, until Lacerda committed to his wrestling, taking Stamann down with three minutes to work. With roughly ninety seconds remaining in the fight, Stamann scrambled to his feet, and this was still very much anybody’s round. I thought Lacerda landed the better shots while applying forward pressure throughout the final minute of the bout, and that was likely enough to give him the edge in this uneventful final round. 29-28 Lacerda.
WINNER: Cody Stamann by unanimous decision (29-28 all)
While I scored the fight for Lacerda, this was unquestionably a very close fight, and I was not surprised to see Stamann get his arm raised at the end of it. I thought both fighters were just a bit too hesitant to engage at points, which led to lengthy periods of the bout that were hard to judge. In the end, Stamann’s edge in activity seemed to be the difference maker, and his speed definitely served him well in this bout, especially in round two, which I thought was the clearest round of the bout. Stamann now holds a UFC record of 7-4-1, and has won two consecutive fights.
SHAMIL ABDURAKHIMOV (20-7, 263) VS JAILTON ALMEIDA (17-2, 232) – HEAVYWEIGHT
It took Almeida roughly fifteen seconds to take Abdurakhimov to the ground, where he quickly transitioned to mount. Abdurakhimov did his best to escape the position, but was unable to shake Almeida, who was constantly able to retain dominant position regardless of what Abdurakhimov did to escape. Eventually, Almeida postured up and began to chase the finish, dropping brutal elbows down on Abdurakhimov until time expired in the round.
Almeida brought Abdurakhimov right back to the ground to begin round two. Almeida threw countless right hands as Abdurakhimov attempted to cover up on the ground, and while Abdurakhimov did enough defensively to keep the fight from being stopped, he was taking quite the beating. Almeida eventually flattened Abdurakhimov, and he just threw down brutal ground and pound until the fight was stopped.
WINNER: Jailton Almeida by TKO at 2:56 of Round 2
This was another one-sided beatdown from Almeida, this time against a ranked fighter with a thirty-pound weight advantage. Abdurakhimov was unable to mount any offense in this fight, and Almeida really sliced through his guard like butter here, transitioning from dominant position to dominant position at will. Almeida is clearly a very special fighter, and it’s tough to imagine the vast majority of the lower-ranked heavyweight or light-heavyweight fighters posing much of a challenge for him at this point. I would like to see Almeida face a top-ten opponent in his next bout, perhaps even one of the genuine contenders in the division, like Curtis Blaydes. Almeida has now won thirteen consecutive fights and is 4-0 in the UFC (he has finished his opponents in all eighteen of his professional wins).
GABRIEL BONFIM (13-0, 171) VS MOUNIR LAZZEZ (11-2, 170.5) – WELTERWEIGHT
Bonfim jumped for a guillotine in one of the first exchanges of the bout, and he caught Lazzez perfectly, taking him to the ground and rolling over into mount, where Lazzez was forced to tap from the submission.
WINNER: Gabriel Bonfim by guillotine choke at 0:49 of Round 1
Bonfim wasted little time in securing the submission finish, making his UFC debut in impressive fashion here, just as his brother did earlier in the night. Bonfim has won the vast majority of his bouts by submission, so it wasn’t necessarily a surprise to see him secure another one here, but to do it so quickly against an opponent like Mounir Lazzez is quite the feat, and it’ll be interesting to see a bit more of his game in his next bout, which will certainly be highly anticipated after the respective performances from Gabriel and his brother on this card.
THIAGO MOISES (16-6, 155.5) VS MELQUIZAEL COSTA (19-5, 155) – LIGHTWEIGHT
Costa defended the first two takedown attempts of the fight from Moises, resulting in Moises bringing the fight to the clinch against the cage. Eventually, the takedown came for Moises, who took top position with two minutes to work. Costa did a good job of defending himself on the ground, keeping Moises from improving his position, and escaping to his feet with just under a minute remaining in the round. Moises ended the round with a big one-two, followed by a right hand.
Moises secured another takedown to begin the second round, but Costa escaped to his feet quickly. Costa threw out a number of kicks, but Moises was undeterred and took Costa right back to the ground. An elbow from Moises cut Costa open, and Moises proceeded to land numerous left hands to the head of Costa as he picked himself up against the cage. Moises took the back of Costa, where he locked a rear naked choke in around the chin and squeezed, forcing Costa to submit from the pressure.
WINNER: Thiago Moises by rear naked choke at 4:05 of Round 2
Costa did a good job of making Moises uncomfortable early in the bout, but once Moises got a read on Costa’s strengths and timing, it became a fairly one-sided fight that Moises finished in a decisive fashion. Moises was originally scheduled to face Guram Kutateladze on this card, but Kutateladze was forced to pull out from the bout, and Costa took this fight on short notice, so I don’t think it would be fair to gauge much from Costa’s performance here, especially taking into account the fact that he was making his UFC debut against an opponent as tough as Moises. Still, this was a good win for Moises, who has now won two consecutive fights by submission.
GREGORY RODRIGUES (13-4, 186) VS BRUNNO FERREIRA (9-0, 185) – MIDDLEWEIGHT
Rodrigues landed the first significant shot of the fight, a strong right hand. It did not take long for the fighters to start brawling, but Ferreira reset quickly, perhaps with the knowledge that brawling with Rodrigues could be unwise. Rodrigues worked his jab, but Ferreira was countering with straight left hands, limiting the effectiveness of Rodrigues’s jab. In the round’s final minute, a straight left hand from Ferreira caught Rodrigues flush, knocking him unconscious.
WINNER: Brunno Ferreira by KO at 4:13 of Round 1
This was quite the knockout for Ferreira in his UFC debut, against a very durable fighter in Gregory Rodrigues, who was a sizeable favorite going into this fight. Rodrigues was initially scheduled to face Brad Tavares on this card, but Tavares was forced to withdraw from the bout, and Ferreira took this one on just eight days’ notice. To Rodrigues’s credit, Ferreira is a very different opponent from Tavares stylistically and went ahead with the bout regardless, but this was certainly a surprising loss for “Robocop”, who was coming off of a pair of impressive knockout wins going into this one. Ferreira improved to 10-0 professionally following this win, and he finished all ten of those fights (with his longest bout lasting just over six minutes).
MAURICIO “SHOGUN” RUA (27-13-1, 205) VS IHOR POTIERIA (18-3, 205) – LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
Shogun landed a heavy left hook just over a minute into the fight that got a huge reaction from the crowd. A right hand from Potieria caught Shogun, who tripped to the ground moments later, which led to Potieria rushing him against the cage. Shogun was cut open beneath his right eye, and a short right hand from Potieria rocked Shogun. Potieria realized Shogun was hurt, and just swarmed him with strikes until he went down, ending the fight with strikes.
WINNER: Ihor Potieria by TKO at 4:05 of Round 1
Potieria was naturally a heavy favorite against the 41-year-old Shogun Rua going into this fight, and the expected result quickly occurred, with Potieria securing the first-round knockout, before breaking into a dance routine that endeared him to nobody at that particular moment. It was yet another sad moment in which a legend of the sport was fed to a young prospect in his retirement bout, and I don’t think anyone particularly enjoyed watching this. Regardless, this was big opportunity for Ihor Potieria, and he made the most of the moment, improving his UFC record to 1-1.
Going into this fight, Shogun was fairly adamant that this would indeed be his final fight in the sport, and he confirmed this in his post-fight interview. If this was indeed his final fight, then he leaves behind a legendary resume at 205lbs, one that really began when he joined PRIDE FC in 2003, a promotion where most would agree that he spent his prime years. While he split his two heavyweight bouts in the promotion (a win against Kevin Randleman, and a loss to Mark Coleman), it was at middleweight where Shogun dominated, with a total record of 11-0 in PRIDE’s middleweight division, highlighted by his victory in the 2005 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix, where he defeated Alistair Overeem, Quinton Jackson, Antônio Rogério Nogueira, and Ricardo Arona. Despite injuries taking their toll on him, Shogun continued to find success in the UFC, where he defeated Lyoto Machida for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship in 2010, a title he would go on to lose to Jon Jones. Shogun remarkably went on to fight for just over fifteen years in the UFC, a lengthy run that included wins over Chuck Liddell, Mark Coleman, Forrest Griffin, and Corey Anderson, as well as a legendary fight against Dan Henderson from 2011, a fight that has been inducted into the UFC’s Hall of Fame.
PAUL CRAIG (16-5-1, 205) VS JOHNNY WALKER (19-7, 205) – LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
Walker began the fight with a leg kick. Craig caught a kick from Walker, and Walker just started attacking the unprotected head of Craig, rocking him with a heavy right hand, before finishing the fight with powerful hammerfists as Craig covered up on the ground.
WINNER: Johnny Walker by TKO at 2:16 of Round 1
This bout was practically guaranteed to end in wild fashion, and that’s exactly what happened, with Johnny Walker securing the knockout finish following a barrage of brutal right hands as Craig held onto Walker’s leg. Walker celebrated the win in typical Johnny Walker fashion, doing the worm across the octagon as everybody watching feared for the health of his shoulder, which he famously injured doing his worm celebration years ago. Walker has now won two consecutive fights, and will likely take Craig’s spot in the top ten of the UFC’s Light Heavyweight rankings.
At this point in the broadcast, it was announced that Jose Aldo would headline the UFC’s 2023 Hall of Fame class. Aldo fought for eighteen years in the sport of MMA, where he compiled an overall record of 31-8 throughout his career. Aldo quickly surged to the top of the featherweight division in the WEC, where he defeated Mike Brown for the WEC Featherweight Championship in 2009. Aldo would go on to defend the WEC Featherweight championship twice, before it was rebranded as the UFC Featherweight championship, a title that Aldo would successfully defend for a record seven times, before finally losing his title to Conor McGregor. Aldo would go on to regain his championship, but Max Holloway would soon take his featherweight crown, ending Aldo’s lengthy run on top of the division. Aldo fought the final years of his career at bantamweight, where he was able to hold his own against the top bantamweight of the modern era despite all the miles on his body. Aldo’s legendary career included notable wins against the likes of Mike Brown, Urijah Faber, Chad Mendes, Frankie Edgar, The Korean Zombie, Kenny Florian, and Ricardo Lamas. There is no debate regarding Aldo’s standing among the all time greats of the sport, and he is certainly a worthy headliner for this year’s hall of fame class.
JESSICA ANDRADE (23-9, 125) VS LAUREN MURPHY (16-5, 125.5) – FLYWEIGHT
Andrade landed a number of inside leg kicks to begin the fight. Murphy rushed forward and walked right into a heavy hook from Andrade, who was doing significant damage early in the fight. Andrade seemed to have no fear of Murphy’s power, and she began to rush forward with hooks, landing hard shots with regularity, all while continuing to cut down Murphy’s lead leg. At one point Murphy took Andrade down, but Andrade popped right back to her feet and continued to walk Murphy down. This was a very one-sided round, and the momentum was completely on Andrade’s side going into round two. 10-8 Andrade.
Murphy’s corner told her to wrestle with Andrade between rounds, but Andrade was able to keep the fight on the feet, and the second round quickly started to play out like the first round. Andrade attacked the head and body of Murphy with combinations of hooks, and Murphy was having virtually no success offensively in return. Andrade continued to defend takedown attempts from Murphy and punished her with brutal combinations whenever they broke apart. Another brutal, one-sided round in favor of Andrade. 20-16 Andrade.
Andrade rushed Murphy with strikes in the opening minute, landing a considerable portion of them with power. Murphy had absolutely nothing to offer Andrade here, and I thought the damage she was taking by this point in the bout was completely unnecessary, but Murphy refused to go down, and the fight continued to play out, even as Cormier begged for the referee to stop the fight on commentary. Murphy made it to the final bell, despite Andrade’s best attempts to get Murphy out of there, and I scored the fight 30-24 for Andrade.
WINNER: Jessica Andrade by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-26)
This was an absolutely brutal beatdown, that was uncomfortable to watch at points. I thought every round of this fight should have been scored 10-8 in favor of Andrade, and honestly, I really didn’t need to see the third round of this one. With that being said, there are few things rarer in the sport than a fighter’s corner actually stopping a fight, so I can’t feign shock. Murphy wasn’t able to mount any significant offense throughout this fifteen-minute bout, and Andrade was able to march her down, throwing brutal hooks to the head and body of Murphy. It was a dominant win for Jessica Andrade, who certainly ranks highly among the most entertaining fighters in the world today. Andrade called for a strawweight title shot after the bout (despite this win coming at flyweight), calling for a rematch with Zhang Weili, who beat Andrade for her strawweight championship in August of 2019.
GILBERT BURNS (20-5, 170) VS NEIL MAGNY (27-9, 171) – WELTERWEIGHT
Burns secured a takedown with just over three minutes to work in the round, where he quickly transitioned into side control. Magny did his best to defend himself, but Burns wasted little time in transitioning into mount, where he locked an arm triangle, forcing Magny to submit.
WINNER: Gilbert Burns by arm triangle at 4:15 of Round 1
Burns was a massive favorite going into this one, and honestly, I questioned the odds going into the bout, but Burns made good on those odds with this performance. Burns last fought in April of 2022, where he lost a spectacular fight to Khamzat Chimaev, but the small layoff did not seem to affect him at all here, and he won this fight in one-sided fashion, easily securing the submission after taking Magny to the ground. After the fight, Burns called out Colby Covington, which would be an excellent fight if it eventually comes together.
DEIVESON FIGUEIREDO (21-2-1, 125) VS BRANDON MORENO (20-6-2, 125) – UFC FLYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
The fighters did not touch gloves to start the fight but exchanged bows. Moreno took Figueiredo down in the opening seconds of the fight, however, Figueiredo was able to get up after grabbing hold of Moreno’s neck. Moreno landed an overhand right, and Figueiredo responded with a front kick. Figueiredo continued to attack with that front kick before the fighters traded punches. Both fighters defended takedown attempts, but it was Moreno who was able to secure one more in the round’s final minute. Figueiredo responded with a heel hook attempt but was unable to secure a finish before time expired.
Figueiredo caught a leg and took Moreno down to begin the second round. Moreno scrambled to his feet and tagged Figueiredo with a hook on the break. Figueiredo defended a takedown from Moreno, and landed a hook of his own beforehand. The fighters continued to exchange heavy hands, with Moreno landing with more regularity. Moreno went for another takedown, however, Figueiredo jumped for a guillotine in response. It was a solid attempt, but Moreno escaped and took top position with just over ninety seconds remaining in the round. Moreno was not terribly effective from top position, but was able to maintain the position until time expired in the round.
Moreno landed a huge left hand and apparently grazed Figueiredo’s eye in the process. Figueiredo attempted to call for a break in the action but did not get the pause he was looking for, and Moreno took him to the ground, where he began to throw down ground and pound strikes. Figueiredo was bleeding near his right eye, and his body language was not great by this point in the fight. This was a very decisive round for Moreno.
The doctor checked on Figueiredo’s eye between rounds, and it was determined that he could not continue fighting.
WINNER: Brandon Moreno by TKO at 5:00 of Round 3 to win the UFC Flyweight Championship
The fans were furious at the stoppage, believing that Figueiredo’s eye injury came as a result of an eye poke, and showered Moreno with drinks and garbage as he left the octagon. While the eye injury was an unfortunate conclusion to this rivalry, I do believe it came from a legal punch from Moreno, so if that was indeed what happened, this was a legitimate TKO win for Moreno, who I thought looked very good throughout this fight, landing strong offense on the feet, while mixing in his wrestling effectively. After the bout, Figueiredo announced that he will move to bantamweight, so this seems like a definitive finale to this great rivalry, and it will be interesting to see who Moreno defends against next. I think the most logical option would be Alexandre Pantoja, who has won three consecutive fights and holds two wins over Moreno, but Matheus Nicolau is inching closer to a title shot himself, with a remarkable record of 7-1 in the UFC.
GLOVER TEIXEIRA (33-8, 205) VS JAMAHAL HILL (11-1, 1 NC, 204.5) – UFC LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Teixeira and Hill touched gloves to begin the main event. Teixeira quickly shot for a takedown, but the attempt was defended, and Hill caught him with a number of knees on the break. Hill defended numerous attempts throughout the round, and he attacked Teixeira’s body with kicks from at range. Hill connected with a number of heavy right hands, and Teixeira appeared to be having difficulty in dealing with his speed. An unintentional eye poke to Hill resulted in a pause in the action, but he didn’t take much time before resuming the fight. The fighters exchanged hard leg kicks, before Hill began to work his jab, busting up the nose of Teixeira. 10-9 Hill.
Hill accidentally caught Teixeira with an eye poke of his own in the second round, resulting in another short break. As the action resumed, Teixeira landed a low kick that got a big reaction from Hill. Hill landed a head kick that rocked Teixeira, and Glover was in deep trouble as Hill swarmed him with strikes, rocking him with multiple uppercuts. In true Glover Teixeira fashion, he somehow survived Hill’s flurry, and he began to fire back. Eventually, Teixeira was able to successfully bring Hill to the ground, but he couldn’t get the finish he was looking for on the ground, and Hill escaped to his feet. The fighters traded hands to end the round. 20-18 Hill.
Hill defended a takedown to begin the third round. Another head kick rocked Teixeira, and this one sent Glover to the ground. Hill followed Teixeira down as he attempted to finish the fight, and while Glover somehow survived Hill’s onslaught, he was clearly still hurt and tired. Regardless, Teixeira began to march forward in an attempt to make up ground, throwing heavy hooks Hill’s way. Hill connected with a heavy right hand to end a strong round. 30-27 Hill.
Teixeira had brutal cuts above both of his eyebrows going into round four. A knee to the head from Hill found its target, and he successfully defended a takedown attempt from Teixeira moments later. Hill continued to land damaging strikes as Teixeira just did his best to weather the storm, and he was still throwing back with power whenever the opportunities presented themselves. Once again, Hill rocked Teixeira, and referee Marc Goddard was close to stopping the fight, but Teixeira just wouldn’t go down, somehow making it to the end of the round. 40-36 Hill.
The doctor was brought in to check on Teixeira between rounds, and it was determined that he could continue. Teixeira secured a much-needed takedown at the start of the final round, where he began to work from side control. Teixeira worked his way into top mount with three minutes remaining in the bout, but Hill slipped out from under him and took top position. Hill moved into side control, before allowing Teixeira to his feet with a minute left in the bout. Neither fighter landed a fight-changing shot before time expired, and this was likely another round for Jamahal Hill. 50-44 all.
WINNER: Jamahal Hill by unanimous decision (50-44 all) to win the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
While Teixeira had his moments, this was largely a dominant performance from Hill, who was able to rock Teixeira repeatedly with head kicks and uppercuts. Teixeira did his best to take Hill down, but Hill’s defense throughout the fight was phenomenal, and he was able to escape to his feet the few times in which Teixeira successfully brought him down. Teixeira showcased an insane level of toughness and durability, just like Lauren Murphy earlier in the night, but that being such a takeaway is often a sign of a fight that went on longer than it should have, and I’m not sure the fifth round of this fight was necessary, although Teixeira thankfully did not take much more damage in that final round. The three logical matchups for Hill coming out of this are the former champion, Jiri Procházka, Magomed Ankalaev, and Jan Błachowicz. I do think that Ankalaev is the most likely of the three to fight for the title next, as Prochazka is still injured, but there is no shortage of options for Hill coming out of this one.
After the fight, Teixeira left his gloves in the cage and announced his retirement from the sport. At 43 years of age, I don’t think this retirement came as a shock, but the final years of Teixeira’s career may very well be what he is most remembered for, filled with entertaining wars, PPV main events, and of course his UFC Light Heavyweight title win in 2021. If this was indeed Teixeira’s final bout, he will retire with a record of 33-9, highlighted by wins over numerous former champions or title challengers, including Jan Błachowicz, Anthony Smith, Thiago Santos, Jared Cannonier, Rashad Evans, Quinton Jackson, and Ryan Bader.
