UFC Fight Night 125 results: Thiago 'Marreta' Santos liver kick shuts down gritty Anthony Smith in thriller

Thiago “Marreta” Santos (17-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) registered his fourth consecutive win, finishing a durable Anthony Smith (28-13 MMA, 4-3 UFC) in a thriller.

The middleweight bout opened up the main card of today’s UFC Fight Night 125 event at Mangueirinho Gymnasium in Belem, Para, Brazil. It aired on FS1 following prelims on FS2 and UFC Fight Pass.

Santos came out aggressively, firing kicks at all levels, including a pair of huge early shots to the head that Smith not only survived but also pushed through to fall into mount. Santos remained calm underneath and swept back to top briefly after, pummeling away at the body once he established the dominant position. A gritty Smith somehow worked his way back to the feet, where the two men teed off and landed clean with simultaneous elbows. Smith wobbled to the floor on the exchange, but Santos suffered a big cut, as well. They continued to exchange strikes until the bell, closing a wild opening frame.

Santos continued to fire big kicks to open the second. A left kick to the body landed clean, and Smith had to retreat and cover. Santos seized the opportunity, rushing forward with a barrage of punches and elbows that landed clean as Smith tried desperately to take the fight to the floor. The valiant effort fell short, and referee Marc Goddard was forced to call an end to the contest at the 63-second mark of the frame.

Santos’ current four-fight winning streak is comprised of four knockouts. Smith sees his former three-fight run snapped.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 125 results include:

• Thiago “Marreta” Santos def. Anthony Smith via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 1:03
• Sergio Moraes def. Tim Means via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
• Alan Patrick def. Damir Hadzovic via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-27, 30-27)
• Polyana Viana def. Maia Stevenson via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:50
• Iuri Alcantara def. Joe Soto via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:06
• Deiveson Figueiredo def. Joseph Morales via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:34

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 125, check out the UFC Events section of the site.