Outside Source
Charles Oliveira did what he does best.
The ex-Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight titleholder dismissed Mateusz Gamrot with a face crank in the second round of their UFC Fight Night 261 headliner on Saturday at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro. Oliveira (36-11, 24-11 UFC) brought it to a close 2:48 into Round 2, a crowd full of his raucous countryman roaring its approval.
A late replacement for Rafael Fiziev, Gamrot (25-4, 8-4 UFC) struck for a takedown inside the first minute and immediately found himself in danger. Oliveira utilized an omoplata to sweep into top position, at which point he advanced to the back, bit down on a body triangle and made life miserable for the former two-division KSW champion. Oliveira crowded the Pole with front kicks to the body, inside leg kicks and collar-tie elbows in the second round, swooped in for a takedown of his own and again progressed to the back. He then laced his arms around Gamrot’s head and applied maximum pressure on the crank to procure the tapout.
Meanwhile, two-time 125-pound champion Deiveson Figueiredo rebounded from back-to-back losses to Petr Yan and Cory Sandhagen, as he outstruck and outmaneuvered Montel Jackson to a split decision in their three-round bantamweight co-main event. All three members of the assigned judiciary scored it 29-28: Fabio Alves for Jackson, Jerin Valel and Clemens Werner for Figueiredo.
Jackson (15-3, 9-3 UFC) failed to muster enough output through two rounds, perhaps due to his preoccupation with defending takedowns. Figueiredo (25-5-1, 14-5-1 UFC) operated at peak performance in the middle stanza, where he secured a takedown, progressed to full mount, flirted with an arm-triangle and advanced to the back. Jackson scrambled to his feet but stalled there. He finally picked up his pace in Round 3, where he called upon his jab, left hands over the top and close-range knees. Jackson consolidated those efforts with a takedown of his own but never sniffed the finish he needed.
The setback snapped a six-fight winning streak for Jackson.
Further down the bill, Bandog Fight Club’s Joel Alvarez cruised to a unanimous decision over “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 21 graduate Vicente Luque in their three-round welterweight attraction. All three cageside judges turned in 30-26 scorecards for Alvarez (23-3, 8-2 UFC), who replaced Santiago Ponzinibbio on short notice.
It devolved into a theater of the bizarre in some regards. Alvarez clipped the Kill Cliff Fight Club mainstay with a left hook in the first round. Luque (23-12-1, 16-8 UFC) retreated to the canvas in visible distress and complained about an eye poke, though replays showed the blow was legal. Instead of awarding Alvarez a technical knockout, referee Osiris Maia called in the physician to have the New Jersey-born Brazilian examined and then restarted the fight. Alvarez nearly finished it again in Round 2, where he cut off a takedown attempt, assumed a dominant position and let fly with punches, hammerfists and elbows while targeting the head, body and even the legs. Nevertheless, Luque survived. Alvarez countered another ill-advised takedown in the third, immobilized his exhausted adversary with an inverted triangle and proceeded to camp out there rather than punish his exposed body. Minutes went by, the crowd showered the scene with boos and time ran out with virtually no meaningful action having taken place.
Alvarez, 32, has rattled off four consecutive victories.
Elsewhere, former Levels Fight League champion Mario Pinto kept his perfect professional record intact, as he disposed of Jhonata Diniz with punches in the second round of their heavyweight feature. Pinto (11-0, 2-0 UFC) drew the curtain 4:10 into Round 2.
Diniz (9-2, 3-2 UFC) was a non-factor. Pinto completed two takedowns in the first round, achieved full mount on multiple occasions, applied his ground-and-pound and even threatened with a deep keylock. Diniz managed to hold off the Fightzone London prospect, but the writing was on the wall. Pinto executed another takedown to start the middle stanza, shredded his counterpart’s face with elbows and eventually postured with punches to procure the stoppage.
Pinto, 27, has authored three straight fights.
Finally, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 32 finalist Kaan Ofli put away Ricardo Ramos with a standing rear-naked choke in the first round of their featherweight appetizer. Ofli (12-4-1, 1-2 UFC) shut the door 3:02 into Round 1, as the former Hex Fight Series champion secured his first win since Feb. 24, 2023.
Ramos (17-8, 8-7 UFC) missed his chance—several of them, in fact. Taken down off of a caught front kick, the Brazilian attacked Ofli’s leg with kneebars, toe holds and heel hooks. Nothing stuck. Ofli scrambled behind him, set the body triangle with his opponent standing and went to work on the choke. Eventually, he snuck his arms in place and constricted, leaving Ramos no choice but to tap.
The 30-year-old Ramos has lost four of his past five bouts.
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This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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