Stay tuned to https://mmainsight.com this evening for all the results live as they happen from UFC 153: Silva Vs Bonnar in Rio, Brazil.
The action is set to get underway at aprox 6.45pm ET (11.45pm UK) with the main card commencing at 10pm ET (3am UK).
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Main Card:
Anderson Silva defeats Stephan Bonnar by TKO at 4.40mins of Rd1
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira defeats Dave Herman by submission (armbar) at 4.31mins of Rd2
Glover Teixeira defeats Fabio Maldonado by TKO (doctor stoppage) at 5.00mins of Rd2
Jon Fitch defeats Erick Silva by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
Phil Davis defeats Wagner Prado by submission (anaconda choke) at 4.29mins of Rd2
Demian Maia defeats Rick Story by submission (neck crank) at 2.30mins of Rd1
Prelims:
Rony Jason defeats Sam Sicilia by TKO at 4.16mins of Rd2
These two got embroiled in a slug fest, much to the delight of the Rio crowd. The emphasis was on offense rather than defense here, with Sicilia in particular swinging for the fences, while Jason was trying to pick his shots more, but was getting caught more than he should. In the second round Sicilia seemed to be edging the action, and as they approached the final minute he caught Jason with a hard shot that seemed to stop him in his tracks. Sicilia tried to apply more offense with a kick, but Jason caught it and slugged him with a right that dropped him to the mat. The Brazilian followed him down and started throwing right hands, before switching to hammer-fists, and with Sicilia dazed and not doing anything to stop the shots the referee brought an end to the action.
Gleison Tibau defeats Francisco Drinaldo by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Now this was a fun back-and-forth fight. Tibau had a strong opening round, taking the fight to Drinaldo and landing the harder shots and securing a few takedowns along the way. Tibau looked to be continuing that momentum into the second round until Drinaldo suddenly caught him with a clubbing left hand that put Tibau on the mat looking dazed. Drinaldo seized upon the opportunity, taking Tibau’s back and looking for a rear-naked choke. He seemed to have it in tight, but somehow Tibau was able to stay composed and work his way out of it. Then Drinaldo switched to an arm-triangle, but again Tibau shows he’s still got his wits about him by escaping that too. Onto the third and it’s now anybody’s fight, and both men appear determined to win as they exchange strikes at close range in the opening minute. Tibau got the better of it though, appearing to hurt Drinaldo with a couple of hard shots, and then he swooped in and secured a takedown. From there Tibau was able to control the remainder of the round, even threatening with an arm triangle of his own, though Drinaldo was able to match his earlier exploits by also surviving.
Diego Brandao defeats Joey Gambino by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Brandao was clearly in control of this fight from beginning to end. Though he was also clearly in the ascendency when the fight hit the mat, his striking was the big difference between them Here. That was most event when he floored Gambino in the opening minutes of the first with a head kick, again with a clattering right hook in the second, and another right in the third. Credit to Gambino for weathering those storms, but he was never able to get any significant payback over the course of 15 minutes and that allowed Brandao to cruise to a clean sweep on the scorecards.
Sergio Moraes defeats Renee Forte by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3.10mins of Rd3
The first couple of rounds of this fight weren’t particularly eventful as Moraes and Forte exchanged on the feet, and Forte popped quickly back up after several takedown attempts from his opponent. Mid-way through the third round that changed though as Forte charge forward with a flurry of strikes, landing cleanly a couple of times. Moraes used his momentum to get him to the ground though and pounced on his back. Forte got to his feet, but Moraes wasn’t letting go and was fishing for a rear-naked choke. Forte struggled to shake him off, but was unable to, and eventually he sunk down to the mat. That enabled Moraes to get more purchase and he was able to sink in the choke fully and get the tap.
Chris Camozzi defeats Luiz Cane by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Cane’s middleweight debut proved to be a little underwhelming here. He lacked the aggression and power punching we’ve come to expect from him for much of the fight, only finally stepping up a gear in the final round where he managed to clock Camozzi with some of the hardest shots of the entire bout. However, aside from a brief takedown in the opening round where he took his opponent’s back and tried in vain to lock in a rear-naked choke, much of the first 10 minutes belonged to Camozzi as he put in an efficient, workmanlike display, consistently beating Cane to the punch, and landing some hurtful blows at times. At the end of the day that would prove enough to earn him the decision victory.
Cristiano Marcello defeats Reza Madadi by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
This was a hard fought stand-up war that left both fighters battered and bleeding by it’s conclusion. Throughout the fight Madadi had the better moments, taking full advantage of Marcello’s habit for backing up in a straight line with chin in the air and his hands down low. Several times he made him pay for it, backing him up against the cage with strikes and going to work with combinations. Marcello took the punishment though, and as the fight progressed he seemed to settle into his groove and was throwing back hard strikes of his own. Perhaps his best shots were to the body though, including landing a hard kick to the mid-section in the second round that gave Madadi pause for thought, and several nice punches in the third that also had a clear effect. In the third round Madadi was fading and offered little offense, and while Marcello looked very tired he pressed the action and looked to have secured that five minutes in his favor. Madadi did secure brief takedowns in the first two rounds though in addition to the better quality work overall, but the judges favored the hometown fighter and he claimed a split decision win.
