Carlos "The Natural Born Killer" Condit announced his return to the welterweight division emphatically on Saturday night in Brazil. He scored a TKO victory over Thiago Alves after the second round when the Octagon-side doctor wouldn't allow the proud Brazilian to continue.
In the second round, Condit appeared to break the nose of Alves with a counter elbow strike that visibly disfigured his opponent's nose. The shot sent Alves reeling and opened a nasty gash on his nose.
To the Brazilian's credit, he showed exceptional heart fighting back, but Condit never let up. Condit landed 75 significant strikes to just 34 for Alves. The finish was Condit's 10th in WEC/UFC history, and it puts him in position to gain a title shot sooner rather than later.
When asked who he'd like to face in his next fight, Condit wasn't picky, per Fox Sports UFC:
Condit says he wants "whoever, whatever," next, as long as it's exciting #UFCGoiania
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) May 31, 2015
After this performance, most fans would be happy to watch Condit fight again as soon as possible. Here's a look at the full results table and analysis of the full card.
| UFC Fight Pass Prelims at 7 p.m. ET | ||
| Matchup | Weight Class | Result |
| Luiz Dutra vs. Tom Breese | Welterweight | Breese by first-round KO |
| Juliana Lima vs. Ericka Almeida | Strawweight | Lima by unanimous decision (30-27x2, 30-25) |
| Fox Sports 1 Prelims at 8 p.m. ET | ||
| Matchup | Weight Class | Result |
| Lucas Martins vs. Mirsad Bektic | Featherweight | Bektic by TKO |
| Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Nicolas Dalby | Welterweight | Dalby by split decision (29-28x2, 28-29) |
| Jussier Formiga vs. Wilson Reis | Flyweight | Formiga by split decision (29-28x2, 28-29) |
| Rony Jason vs. Damon Jackson | Featherweight | Jason by first-round submission (triangle choke) |
| Fox Sports 1 Main Card at 10 p.m. ET | ||
| Matchup | Weight Class | Result |
| Wendell Oliveira vs. Darren Till | Welterweight | Till by second-round KO |
| Francisco Trinaldo vs. Norman Parke | Lightweight | Trinaldo by split decision (29-8x2, 28-29) |
| Francimar Barroso vs. Ryan Jimmo | Light Heavyweight | Barroso by decision (30-27x2, 29-28) |
| KJ Noons vs. Alex Oliveira | Welterweight | Oliveira by first-round submission (rear-naked choke) |
| Carlos Condit vs. Thiago Alves | Welterweight | Condit by TKO (Doctor Stoppage) |
UFC.com
Fight Pass Prelims Analysis
Breese Decimates Dutra
With just four seconds left in the event's opening bout, Tom Breese finished Luiz Dutra with a huge left hand that put the Brazilian on the mat. Breese had controlled the entire first round. He landed 37 significant strikes to 19 for Dutra before forcing the referee to stop the bout just before the horn.
At just 23 years old, Breese ran his professional record to 8-0. He could be a name to remember in the welterweight division.
Lima Dominates Almeida
Some fights simply shouldn't happen. The Juliana Lima vs. Ericka Almeida scrap fits into that category. Lima was miles ahead in every aspect of the sport. She used her advanced grappling to land three takedowns and spend 10:15 seconds in top control.
MMA Thought saw the dominant Lima performance in the works once she got a load of Almeida's shoddy takedown defense:
Ericka Almeida has zero takedown defense. This will be an easy judges decision for Juliana Lima. #UFCGoiania #ConditAlves
— MMAThought (@MMAThought) May 30, 2015
It's hard to determine how good Lima's showing was considering the disparity in talent and world-class experience. Almeida was in her first UFC bout, and nerves might have been an issue. In any case, Lima shined and looks prepared to look for another shot at women's strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk somewhere down the line.
Fox Sports 1 Prelim Analysis
Bektic Looks Destructive
From the opening moments of the Mirsad Bektic vs. Lucas Martins bout, the Croatian showed who would be the boss of the Octagon. His movements and strikes had more purpose, and he quickly transitioned to a takedown that spelled the beginning of the end for Martins.
An aggressive Bektic opened up a cut on Martins' face and caused significant swelling on his opponent's left eye.
Martins made it through the first round but was quickly floored in the second round and pounded out until the fight was stopped. It was an impressive and complete performance from Bektic. Per the UFC's official Twitter account, Bektic announced his intentions to ascend the latter in the 145-pound rankings:
"I got my job done. I'm climbing the ladder to be in the top 10" @MirsadBekticMMA #UFCGoiania pic.twitter.com/3rlDDvVL7a
— UFC (@ufc) May 31, 2015
Dalby Takes Down Dos Santos
Nicolas Dalby knew he couldn't spend too much time trading shots with the powerful Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos. Instead, he did just enough in the stand-up game to earn respect and then leaned on his superior grappling en route to the split-decision victory.
Dalby was outstruck 57-41 in significant strikes, but the former landed six takedowns that impressed the judges enough to earn him the victory.
Despite his solid work, Dalby looked legitimately surprised he was awarded the decision against the hometown favorite in a close fight. Ben Fowlkes of USA Today noticed Dalby's reaction:
Nicolas Dalby with the classic 'I kind of can't believe I got that decision' face.
— Ben Fowlkes (@benfowlkesMMA) May 31, 2015
If he can continue to put on solid performances, Dalby will have to learn to handle his success with a little more poise.
Formiga Has Too Much for Reis
Not usually known for his striking prowess, Jussier Formiga proved he had added that wrinkle to his game against Wilson Reis.
A hard right hand put Reis down in the second round, and Formiga's boxing scored most of the fight. Ultimately, Formiga would lean on his world-class jiu-jitsu to walk away with the split-decision victory.
Formiga locked down four takedowns that kept Reis on his proverbial heels most of the fight.
Jackson Vanquished on the Ground by Jason
Damon Jackson played with fire and got burned. He took Rony Jason—an elite Brazilian jiu-jitsu artist—down twice. The second time he wasn't allowed to continue the fight.
Jackson changed levels nicely to earn the takedown in the first round, but he got careless trying to land some ground-and-pound shots. The active legs from Jason wrapped Jackson up and put the American in peril.
Jason teetered between a triangle choke and an armbar before settling on the former and earning the submission. The UFC's official Twitter account acknowledged Jason's grappling work:
RONY JASON!!! That ground game!! #UFCGoiania
— UFC (@ufc) May 31, 2015
Main Card Analysis
And Till...
In a sparkling UFC debut, Darren Till scored a brutal second-round KO win over Wendell Oliveira. After allowing his nerves to get the best of him in the first frame, Till found his form in the second round.
Oliveira tried to take Till down, but the move wound up backfiring on the powerful Brazilian. Till turned him over and rained down some nasty elbows that left Oliveira momentarily unconscious. Karyn Bryant of Fox Sports responded to Till's vicious finish.
Dang! That was brutal. Till stays undefeated after landing brutal elbows to a downed Oliveira #UFCGoiania
— Karyn Bryant (@KarynBryant) May 31, 2015
Till improved his MMA record to 13-0 and announced his arrival in the welterweight division with the win.
Trinaldo Trips Up Parke
With improved striking from previous performances, Francisco Trinaldo eked out a split-decision victory over Norman Parke. Both men dominated a round. Trinaldo's clear win came in the second round when he used some effective body punching to put Parke on retreat much of the round.
Parke clearly won the third round with a timely takedown and top control for more than two-thirds of the round. The decision came down to the first round. It was close, but two of the judges felt Trinaldo did the better work.
Parke scored two takedowns in the round, but Trinaldo landed 20 significant strikes to just five for Parke. Perhaps a rematch is in order.
Barroso Wins Snoozer
In the absolute worst fight of the night, Francimar Barroso kicked Ryan Jimmo in the groin, caused him to vomit and then beat him by unanimous decision. If that sounded exciting, then I'm a better writer than I thought.
There was literally no action of note in this bout aside from the gross foul from the Brazilian. In fact, I'm not even sure if Barroso deserved the decision. Like most fans, I was just happy the fight ended. B/R MMA shared my sentiments:
If you're awake after that we have KJ Noonsvs. Alex Oliveira on tap. #UFCGoiania
— Bleacher Report MMA (@BR_MMA) May 31, 2015
The Brazilian Cowboy Lassos Another One
The first time I saw Alex "Cowboy" Oliveira, I was like: "C'mon man, there's only one Cowboy, and that's Donald Cerrone." However, the more I see of Oliveira, the more impressed I am.
On Friday, he secured a first-round submission win over the tough KJ Noons via rear-naked choke. He did a good job avoiding Noons' power shots before seizing the opportunity to take the fight to the ground. He was able to take Noons' back and quickly lock on the choke that forced Noons to submit.
UFC President Dana White chimed in after Oliveira's victory:
You can always count on guys named COWBOY
— Dana White (@danawhite) May 31, 2015
Do Bronx Does Work
In an excellent back-and-forth battle that was just as good as their initial battle in 2011, Charles Oliveira defeated Nik Lentz by submission in the third round. The first round saw Lentz push the pace and have his moments while keeping the Brazilian pressed against the cage.
However, Oliveira would break away to land some devastating knees to the midsection.
One of the shots sent Lentz to the canvas. Oliveira mounted Lentz, but the latter did a good job avoiding major damage. Lentz would gain some momentum in the second round, but it was Oliveira who avoided a few submission attempts.
In the third round, Oliveira took his opponent down and immediately began pursuing the submission. After a few adjustments, Oliveira forced Lentz to tap out from guillotine. In all honesty, this fight should be the Fight of the Night.
Jordan Breen of Sherdog.com agreed:
One of the best fights and submissions this year, Charles Oliveira really knows how to thrill, what a naturally gifted and creative grappler
— Jordan Breen (@jordanbreen) May 31, 2015
There are several fights at 145 pounds that Oliveira could take—including a meeting with Max Holloway. We'll see what's next for Oliveira, but at just 25 years old, his future is bright.
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