Resurgent Andrei Arlovski Wipes Out Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva in UFC Fight Night Headliner

Andrei Arlovski teed off on Antonio Silva. | Photo: Gleidson Venga/Sherdog.com

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight titleholder knocked out Antonio Silva with a three-punch combination and follow-up hammerfists in the first round of their UFC Fight Night “Bigfoot vs. Arlovski 2” headliner on Saturday at the Nilson Nelson Gymnasium in Brasilia, Brazil. The end came 2:59 into round one, as the resurgent Arlovski (23-10, 12-4 UFC) avenged a May 2010 decision defeat to the massive Brazilian.

From the start, Arlovksi’s fast hands and educated feet were problematic for “Bigfoot.” The Belarusian steered clear of danger, stepping in and out with his punches while waiting for an opening to present itself. A three-punch combination, tipped by a perfectly place overhand right, dropped Silva (18-6-1, 2-3-1 UFC) where he stood. Arlovski then swarmed from a crouching position, knocking him unconscious with multiple hammerfists to the face.

Tibau Edges Hallmann for 15th UFC Win

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Tibau outpointed Hallmann.

Tibau backed up the Pole with a high kick in the first round, wobbled him with a beautifully timed spinning backfist in the second and withstood a late surge in the third. Hallmann (15-3, 2-2 UFC) was at his best over the final five minutes, as he made life increasingly difficult and unpleasant for the hulking Brazilian. A knee strike from the Thai clinch resulted in a cut above Tibau’s left brow, but he answered with another takedown, kept Hallmann bottled up in close quarters and denied him the finish he needed.

Santos Spoils Escudero Return

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Santos' grappling set the pace.

Escudero (22-9, 3-5 UFC), who had not fought inside the Octagon in more than two years, floored the Nova Uniao standout with an overhand right in the second round and appeared to have him in trouble for an extended period of time. Santos weathered follow-up attacks, and Escudero’s inability to finish proved costly. Rounds one and three belonged to the Brazilian grappler, as he grounded Escudero, transitioned to the MMA Lab export’s back and threatened him with chokes from behind.

Ponzinibbio Dispatches Marques in 80 Seconds

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Ponzinibbio blasted Marques.

Ponzinibbio (19-2, 1-1 UFC) clipped his countryman with a clean left hook, backed him towards the cage with a subsequent volley of punches and kept firing until Oliveira collapsed where he stood, prompting referee Mario Yamasaki to intervene. Ponzinibbio, 27, has won eight of his last nine fights.

Alcantara Outduels Prospect Doane

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Alacantara got by a tough Doane.

Doane (14-4, 2-1 UFC) executed repeated takedowns but not enough of them to counteract the damage his Brazilian opponent exacted on the feet, particularly with kicks to the body and ringing straight left hands. Alcantara also damaged the Hawaiian from his back, battering him with elbows and slashing hammerfists. Doane did a better job of subduing the 34-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt in round three, but his efforts fell short of altering the outcome.

Alcantara has pieced together a three-fight winning streak since dropping a decision to Urijah Faber in August 2013.

Andrade Guillotine Taps Pacheco

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Andrade stopped Pacheco easily.

A seven-inch reach and five-inch height advantage never came into play for Pacheco (10-1, 0-1 UFC), who replaced the injured Valerie Letourneau on short notice. Andrade struck for a takedown into side control inside the first 30 seconds and went to work from top position. Punches, elbows and hammerfists fell with regularity, as Pacheco struggled to move into a more advantageous position. Andrade caught the topside guillotine when the 20-year-old prospect scrambled from the bottom and secured the stoppage soon after.

Castro Triangle Armbar Finishes Johnson

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Godofredo Pepey took out Johnson.

The two men spent much of their encounter posturing on the feet. After a pair of takedowns from Johnson, the second one a slam, “Pepey” caught the triangle in a transition. Johnson fought desperately to free himself, but Castro (11-3, 3-3 UFC) rolled into a mounted position and extended the arm for the tapout.

Sullivan Ground Strikes KO Araujo

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Sullivan put out Araujo's lights.

Araujo (25-7, 2-1 UFC) was on his heels from the start. Sullivan countered him at every turn, answering his clinches and takedown attempts by bullying his way into top position. In the second round, the New Jersey native climbed to half guard and uncorked a violent volley of right hands that rendered Araujo unconscious. A Kurt Pellegrino protégé, Sullivan has rattled off eight consecutive victories.

Trinaldo Outduels Countryman Silva

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Trinaldo outpointed Silva.

Silva (16-2-1, 0-2 UFC) had his chance and squandered it. The 28-year-old moved to Trinaldo’s back in the second round, stretched out his counterpart and threatened with a rear-naked choke. Trinaldo survived, escaped to top position and lived to see a round three. There, “Massaranduba” trapped Silva on the feet, tuned up his punches and later assaulted his fellow Brazilian with forearm- and elbow-laden ground-and-pound on the canvas.

The loss halted Silva’s five-fight winning streak.

Spencer Deals Thiago Third Straight Loss

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Spencer dominated Thiago.

Spencer -- a replacement for the injured Joe Riggs -- floored the Brazilian with the first punch of the fight, a searing right hand down the middle, and never lost his grip on the momentum. He was the busier and more effective fighter on the feet and neutralized Thiago (15-8, 5-8 UFC) on the mat, where he thumped the black belt with punches and elbows from the top.

Since starting his career with 11 consecutive victories, Thiago is a disappointing 4-8.

Yahya Kimura Submits Bedford

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Yahya tapped out Bedford.

A competitive first round gave way to a far more one-sided second stanza. Yahya (20-8, 5-2 UFC) used a leg lock attempt to sweep out of a sprawl, settled in half guard and went to work on the kimura. Before long, Bedford was in dire straits underneath the 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist. The hold secured, Yahya cranked the arm and forced the submission.