Hot prospect Karl Roberson got off to a fast start in the UFC, but veteran Cezar Ferreira put a stop to that momentum in UFC 224 prelim action at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, submitting his previously unbeaten foe in the first round on Saturday.
Ferreira took a hard leg kick to open the bout, but he negated his foe’s striking attack with a takedown in the first minute. With a minute remaining, Ferreira moved into the mount position, where he began firing off hard strikes. Roberson got out of the mount, but Ferreira quickly transitioned and locked in an arm triangle that ended the fight at 4:45 of round one.
Ibitinga’s Ferreira improves to 14-6 with the win. Neptune, New Jersey’s Roberson falls to 6-1.
Heavyweight veteran Aleksei Oleinik showed off his remarkable submission game once again in his bout with fellow contender Junior Albini, as he forced the Brazilian to tap out in the first round.
Oleinik got cut under the right eye almost as soon as the fight began, putting him at a disadvantage almost immediately. In the second minute, the two went to the mat, with Oleinik immediately looking for and locking in his trademark Ezekiel choke from his back. Amazingly, it worked again, with Albini tapping out at 1:45 of round one.
The No. 10-ranked Oleinik moved to 53-11-1 with the win. The No. 14-ranked Albini falls to 14-4.
HEIN vs RAMOS
Rio de Janeiro’s own Davi Ramos got a big win at home in lightweight action, taking less than a round to submit Nick Hein.
Hein had some success early when he briefly dropped Ramos with a left hand, but once the fight hit the mat at the midway point, it was all Ramos, who took Hein’s back and then sunk in the rear naked choke that forced the Germany native to tap out at 4:15 of round one.
Ramos improves to 8-2 with the win. Cologne’s Hein falls to 14-3 with 1 NC.
ZALESKI DOS SANTOS vs STRICKLAND
Welterweight action hero Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos delivered his fifth consecutive victory in impressive style, knocking out Sean Strickland in the first round.
Strickland’s height and reach appeared to be giving Zaleski dos Santos some issues early, but with under two minutes left, a spinning right kick to the head caught Strickland and dropped him. The Californian appeared to have his bearings back when he hit the deck, but “Capoeira” swarmed with a series of ground strikes, hurting his foe and bringing in referee Fernando Portella to stop the bout at 3:12 of the opening round.
With the win, Zaleski dos Santos moves to 19-5. Strickland falls to 19-3.
ALVES vs ALIEV
Former TUF Brazil winner Warlley Alves earned his second consecutive victory in welterweight action, stopping Russia’s Sultan Aliev in two rounds.
Patiently implementing his striking attack, Alves nailed Aliev with a left hand that rapidly swelled up his eye. By the end of the second round, Aliev’s eye was grotesquely swollen, and his corner had seen enough, with the official time of the stoppage 5:00 of the second stanza.
Alves moves to 13-2 with the win; Aliev falls to 14-3.
HERMANSSON vs LEITES
Jack Hermansson was in trouble several times in his middleweight bout with veteran Thales Leites, yet despite a broken rib suffered in round one, he kept pressing and pulled off the comeback, stopping the Brazilian in the third and final frame.
Hermansson came out firing with leg kicks, but as the round progressed, Leites was able to put the fight in his world, as he grappled with the Oslo product for much of the frame. And while he didn’t dominate, he had his Hermansson’s attention.
As the second opened, Leites got the takedown, forcing Hermansson to wince in pain as they hit the mat. Leites moved into position for an arm triangle, but “The Joker” was able to hold on long enough to get free and he made it out of the round.
Between rounds, the doctor checked in on Hermansson, who was cleared to go out for round three, and to start the round, he threw a flying knee before attempting a guillotine choke. Leites ultimately escaped and then sunk in a choke of his own, but Hermansson got loose and into the mount position, and from there, he fired off punch after punch until referee Marc Goddard halted the bout at 2:10 of the final round.
With the win, Hermansson moves to 17-4. Rio’s Leites falls to 27-9. Hermansson trailed 19-18 on all three cards at the time of the stoppage.
EMEEV vs MINA
Russia’s Ramazan Emeev made it two for two in the Octagon, handing Brazil’s Alberto Mina his first pro loss via unanimous decision in a welterweight bout.
The scores read 30-27 across the board for Emeev, now 17-3. Campina Grande’s Mina falls to 13-1.
Fighting for just the fourth time since August 2014, Mina paid for that inactivity, as his timing was off throughout the fight against Emeev, whose steady attack on the feet and the mat was enough for him to get the nod on the scorecards.
PEREZ vs BOCHNOVIC
Sao Paulo middleweight Markus Perez picked up his first UFC win in the opener, submitting James Bochnovic in round one.
Perez and Bochnovic got down to grappling immediately, with Perez in control the whole way. That control led him to find the opening for a rear naked choke, and after patiently waiting to lock it up, he got it, with Bochnovic tapping out at 4:28 of round one.
With the win, Perez moves to 10-1. Kenosha’s Bochnovic falls to 8-3.
