The Qudos Bank Arena treated Australian fans to some quick stoppages, intriguing battles and 10 rounds of title fights. Here is what happened at UFC 312.
early prelims
Quillan Salkilld vs Anshul Jubli (Lightweight Bout) - Salkilld wins via KO (R1, 0:19).
Salkilld made an incredible first impression in the UFC when he knocked out Jubli in just 19 seconds and kick off the event in spectacular fashion. The Australian landed a vicious right-hand punch which knocked the Indian down hard, leaving the referee to stop the fight before any more damage could be done. Salkilld will have definitely put the Lightweight division on notice and after this performance, he will be key to fight again very soon.
Jonathan Micallef vs Kevin Jousset (Welterweight Bout) - Micallef wins via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Micallef was another Australian who succeeded on his UFC debut when he went the distance with Jousset to claim a decision win. Both men stayed on the feet for the full three rounds with The Captain doing most of the work and landing a knockdown from a head kick in the first round. With Micallef now on a four-fight winning streak, he could be a potential prospect in the Welterweight division.
Rongzhu vs Kody Steele (Lightweight Bout) - Rongzhu wins via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
In a wild three-round war, Rongzhu got the better of Steele, winning all three rounds on the judges scorecards. The Chinese mixed martial artist got the better of the ferocious exchanges as his boxing was the key to victory and break the American's undefeated record. With Rongzhu back in the win column, he will certainly be more confident in his next challenge.
preliminary card
Colby Thicknesse vs Aleksandre Topuria (Bantamweight Bout) - Topuria wins via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Topuria did fail to maintain his 100% finish rate in MMA, but he did put on a performance that would give him a very convincing win over Thicknesse. El Conquistador stunned the Aussie in the first round with his powerful striking before occasionally grappling with Thicknesse in the second and third round. With a dominant performance on his UFC debut and being the brother of Ilia Topuria, it won't be any surprise if we soon see the Georgian contest for the Bantamweight rankings.
Wang Cong vs Bruna Brasil (Women's Flyweight Bout) - Cong wins via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Cong redeemed herself in Sydney when she put on an excellent striking display to get a credible decision win over Brasil. Despite landing two takedowns in the fight, The Joker was hard competition on the feet as the Brazilian would be constantly pressured with her back to the cage. Cong is gradually becoming a bigger fan-favourite in the organisation and with a dominant win against Brasil, she could soon earn the opportunity to fight for a place in the Women's Flyweight rankings.
Tom Nolan vs Viacheslav Borshchev (Lightweight Bout) - Nolan wins via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).
Nolan faced one of the toughest challenges in his career, but was able to pull off a victory after going the distance with Borshchev. Big Train was a threat on the ground in the first round, locking in a tight D'Arce Choke on two occasions where Slava Claus just managed to escape, before contesting on the feet in the last two rounds. Now that he is on three consecutive wins, Nolan is looking like he has the potential to be a Lightweight contender.
Jack Jenkins vs Gabriel Santos (Featherweight Bout) - Santos wins via Rear-Naked Choke (R3, 2:06).
Santos managed to begin his winning streak at UFC 312 where he came from behind to stop Jenkins in the third round. The first round saw Jenkins knock down Mosquitinho with a head kick, before the Brazilian surprisingly managed to lock a Triangle Choke in quick desperation. After a dominant wrestling performance in the second, Santos soon turned the tables in the third round by submitting the Aussie with a Rear-Naked Choke as a win like this makes him an eyecatcher after an incredible comeback performance.
main card
Jake Matthews vs Francisco Prado (Welterweight Bout) - Matthews wins via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Matthews gave Prado a big unwelcome in the Welterweight division as he earned his second consecutive unanimous decision win, shining again on another UFC PPV event. The Celtic Kid stuck to his strengths by keeping the fight of the feet for the majority of the battle, landing a couple of shots which almost had the Argentinian in trouble. With over 20 fights in the UFC, Matthews is certainly bringing experience as a benefit to his fights.
Jimmy Crute vs Rodolfo Bellato (Light Heavyweight Bout) - Both men fight to a Majority Draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28).
Crute and Bellato went into a thrilling three-round war which had no surprise when the bout had ended in a majority draw. The Singleton-born fighter knocked down the Brazilian late in round one, almost finishing the fight, while Bellato go the better of the striking exchanges in rounds two and three which is why it was understandable that the battle ended in a draw. There will be no surprise if both men will face off in a rematch as they will be even keener to claim a victory.
Justin Tafa vs Tallison Teixeira (Heavyweight Bout) - Teixiera wins via TKO (R1, 0:35).
Teixeira made an incredible introduction into the UFC when stopped Tafa in just 35 seconds in enemy territory as he continues to be undefeated while having a 100% first-round finish rate in MMA. Xicao backed Tafa towards the cage before leaving the clinch to land a wicked elbow which sent Bad Man crashing down as a couple of strikes later saw the bout come to a stop. Heavyweights get plenty of attention from fans through quick stoppages and Teixeira will be getting plenty of it as he aims to soon enter the Heavyweight rankings.
Zhang Weili vs Tatiana Suarez (Women's Strawweight Title Bout) - Weili wins via Unanimous Decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-45).
Weili remained to be the UFC Strawweight Champion after a dominant display against Suarez as she successfully defends her title for a third time. The champion suffered an early scare in the first round as Suarez did lock in a dangerous Guillotine, but Weili evaded the threat and would soon take control for the rest of the fight both on the feet and ground. Magnum is slowly being regarded as one of the best Strawweights of all time and after snapping her opponent's undefeated record, she seems unstoppable.
Dricus Du Plessis vs Sean Strickland (Middleweight Title Bout) - Du Plessis wins via Unanimous Decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46).
Du Plessis kept his status as King of the Middleweight when he gave Strickland a gruelling five rounds to secure his third decision win of his MMA career. It seemed to be Stillknocks' fighting style that could not allow Strickland to get in the fight and was almost stopped after the South African broke his nose in the fourth round. There is no question that Du Plessis still has plenty of interesting competition ahead for his next title defences, but he is becoming more dangerous the longer he fights with the UFC.
Performance of the Night bonuses:
- Tallison Teixeira
- Quillan Salkilld
Fight of the Night bonus:
- Rongzhu vs Kody Steele
Written by Charlie Oxtoby
Instagram: charlie_oxtoby
MMA Instagram: undisputed._.mma
Twitter: Charlie_Oxtoby1
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