UFC Fight Night 96 results: Alex Oliveira takes out, then taunts hobbled Will Brooks in third

PORTLAND, Ore. – Alex Oliveira wore Will Brooks down in the clinch early, then finished him on the floor late.

But after grinding his way to a third-round TKO victory, Oliveira (16-3-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) invited controversy by taunting Brooks (19-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) after stopping him with strikes, and just one day after missing weight by more than five pounds before the fight.

The catchweight bout (Oliveira missed weight for the lightweight limit) was the co-main event of today’s UFC Fight Night 96 event at Moda Center in Portland, Ore. It aired on FS1 following prelims on FS2 and UFC Fight Pass.

The deciding blow in this fight may well have landed in the first round, even if the fight itself didn’t end until the third. That’s because, after an opening round spent primarily in the clinch with both fighters trading knees to the legs and the body, Brooks returned to his corner complaining of an injured rib.

That rib would prove to a problem throughout the fight, as Brooks could be seen wincing in pain at various points in the next two rounds. Even when he managed to score a takedown and achieve full mount on Oliveira in the second frame, he was unable to do much with it before losing the position.

In the third, as Oliveira pressed his advantage in the clinch, Brooks seemed particularly bothered by his injury, grimacing in pain at several points as Oliveira chipped away at him.

Midway through the final round, Oliveira secured a takedown, then trapped Brooks’ arm from half-guard and blazed away with a torrent of strikes that left Brooks unresponsive and unable to defend himself, forcing referee Herb Dean to call a stop to the bout at the 3:30 mark of Round 3.

Immediately after the stoppage, however, Oliveira invited criticism when he stood up to taunt the downed Brooks with hand gestures. It seemed especially in poor taste after Oliveira had missed weight for the fight by such a substantial margin, and Brooks was quick to leap back to his feet in protest, flinging his mouthpiece at Oliveira before the two were separated.

After the victory, Oliveira apologized for missing weight, but insisted that Brooks had “insulted” him, which prompted the post-victory celebration.

Oliveira has now won two in a row in the UFC, though he acknowledged after the fight that his next bout may well have to come at welterweight. Brooks is now 1-1 since coming to the UFC following a stint as Bellator lightweight champion.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 96 results include:

• Alex Oliveira def. Will Brooks via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 3:30
• Zak Ottow def. Josh Burkman via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Brandon Moreno def. Louis Smolka via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 2:23
• Luis Henrique da Silva def. Joachim Christensen via submission (armbar) – Round 2, 4:43
• Andre Fili def. Hacran Dias via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Shamil Abdurakhimov def. Walt Harris via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos def. Keita Nakamura via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Nate Marquardt def. Tamdan McCrory via knockout (head kick) – Round 2, 4:44
• Ion Cutelaba def. Jonathan Wilson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Curtis Blaydes def. Cody East via TKO (elbows) – Round 2, 2:02
• Ketlen Vieira def. Kelly Faszholz via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 96, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan and Steven Marrocco contributed to this report on site in Portland.)