Martins Takes LW Title, Lineker Crushes Again at Jungle Fight 27

Adriano Martins (right) claimed Jungle Fight gold Thursday night in Brasilia. | Marcelo Alonso/Sherdog.com

The show was highlighted by a cast of talent from all corners of Brazil but, the night belonged to the Amazon’s Adriano Martins, who earned the Jungle Fight interim lightweight title with a first round knockout of local lightweight Ronildo Braga.

M. Alonso

Martins (pictured) will meet
'Massaranduba' in June .

Less than a minute into the fight, Martins landed a cross that put Braga on the mat. It was clear to all in attendance that the bout wouldn’t last: not long after, a powerful knee put Braga on the mat, and sensing his opponent was hurt, Martins finished the bout with a sequence of punches that left his opponent unconscious at 2:54 of the first round.

“I’ve been working hard for so long. I hope now Jungle Fight gives me an opportunity to fight out of Brazil," Martins said after the bout.

However, Martins’ road out of Brazil will be a tough one: Ismail told Sherdog.com that Martins will likely defend his interim title in June, in his home city of Manaus, against powerful prospect Francisco "Massaranduba" Drinaldo.

After his one-night tournament win under the Nitrix banner in February, 20-year-old John Lineker impressed the masses. However, many wanted to see how the Paranagua native would fare against more experienced fighters, such as Bahia’s Renato Velame, a BJJ black belt and student of Luiz Carlos Dorea, much like the Nogueira brothers and Junior dos Santos.

M. Alonso

John Lineker (left) is Brazil's new
bantamweight phenom.

The win was Lineker’s 11th straight victory, all in the last 14 months.

After losing to rival Sergio Junior in February, UFC veteran Edilberto "Crocota" de Oliveira returned and dominated jiu-jitsu representative Nielsen "Grilo" Nunes.

Showing absolutely no standup ability, an overweight Nunes was clearly scared of his opponent’s hands, but managed to knock De Oliveira down and fit him for a guillotine at the end of the first round. However, “Crocota” was much more aggressive in round two: after knocking Nunes down in the first minute of the round, the Baiano landed a big cross that left Nielsen unconscious between the ropes at 3:12 of the second frame.

The event also was marked by some unexpected performances. Little-known featherweight Rafael Miranda -- a product of Brasilia’s Constrictor and teammate of Rani Yahya, Paulo Thiago and “Massaranduba” -- took on the much more experienced Fabiano "Jacarezinho" Silva and was badly punished in the first round.

M. Alonso

'Crocota' sent 'Grilo' through the
ropes.

Local lightweight Leo Pinheiro was impressive for two rounds against tough Natalense veteran Rivanio "Aranha" Regiz. However, after 10 minutes of domination and two knockdowns, Pinhiero showed his lack of grappling experience and fell into a guillotine choke, tapping out one minute into the third frame.

In welterweight action, Marcos Antonio "Bad Face" Santana took a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) over Vicente Luque.

Ismael "Marmota" de Jesus earned a unanimous verdict (30-27, 30-27, 30-28) over Leonardo "Leleco" Guimaraes in a sloppy light heavyweight contest.