Read on for Fight Night Barueri prelim results...
Sao Paulo light heavyweight Marcos Rogerio de Lima didn’t get out of the Octagon in 20 seconds like he did in his May debut against Richardson Moreira, but he did go home early in his UFC Fight Night prelim bout at the Ginasio Jose Correa in Barueri, Brazil, knocking out Igor Pokrajac in under two minutes on Saturday night.
Locking up immediately, de Lima bulled Pokrajac to the fence and went to work with punches to the body as he kept the Croatian from getting loose. With 3:15 remaining, referee Fernando Yamasaki broke the stalled action and restarted the fight. As soon as the two were separated, a fight broke out, with Pokrajac landing a crisp right hand to the jaw. But in the midst of the ensuing exchange, Pokrajac got clipped and sent to the deck. A couple more shots from de Lima landed and Yamasaki intervened at the 1:59 mark, with Pokrajac protesting the stoppage.
De Lima ups his record to 13-3-1 with the win; Pokrajac, who is now winless in his last five, falls to 25-12 with 1 NC.
MOICANO vs. NIINIMAKI
Two weeks’ notice was no problem for unbeaten Brasilia newcomer Renato Moicano, as he impressively dominated his featherweight bout against Tom Niinimaki from the opening horn until he submitted his foe in the second round.
Moicano looked like a seasoned veteran in his first five minutes as a UFC fighter, as he used his reach advantage to dominate the stand-up exchanges and control the pace of the bout.
In round two, Moicano didn’t let up on the feet, and when he dropped Niinimaki with two minutes remaining, it was time to let his ground game do the talking, and it did, as he used his strikes to take the Finland native’s back and sink in the rear naked choke that ended the bout at 3:30 of the frame.
Moicano improves to 9-0-1 with the win; Niinimaki falls to 21-8-1.
DIAS vs. ELKINS
Rio de Janeiro’s Hacran Dias broke a two-fight losing streak in featherweight action, outlasting Darren Elkins and winning a unanimous decision in a grueling three-rounder.
Dias (22-3-1) couldn’t miss with his strikes in the opening minute, as he repeatedly tagged his foe. Elkins responded by looking for the takedown, but Dias wasn’t willing to play along, instead taking Elkins down in the midst of a scramble. After Dias controlled matters for a bit the two rose, Elkins implementing some of his trademark clinch game.
The draining wrestling match continued in rounds two and three, Dias again taking charge and surprisingly taking Elkins down with minimal effort. Elkins (19-5) made a late charge with a choke attempt and some ground-and-pound in the final round, but Dias was able to ride out the round and lock up the win via scores of 30-27 and 29-28 twice.
ISSA vs. SASAKI
Hot Japanese prospect Ulka Sasaki saw his rise momentarily halted by Brazilian vet Leandro Issa, who dominated the bantamweight bout until he finished it via submission in round two.
Issa was aggressive with his striking early, landing hard kicks to the leg and a couple right hands upstairs before clinching with Sasaki and then scoring a takedown. Midway through the round, Sasaki got back to his feet, and while he took Issa down in a scramble, the Brazilian ended up on top and in side control. With a minute left, Issa began working on his opponent’s arm, but gave up the attempt before round’s end.
Getting the bout back to the mat early in the second, Issa stayed in control, but Sasaki did find a way to attempt a choke on his opponent. It didn’t last long though, and Issa got into the mount position and then took his foe’s back, eventually locking on a rear naked choke that produced a tap out at the 4:13 mark.
Sao Paulo’s Issa ups his record to 13-4 with the win; Sasaki falls to 18-2-2.
