The action came thick and fast in Fortaleza as the UFC returned to Brazil with a card stacked with local heroes, including an all-Brazilian bantamweight battle in the main event. Recap the action here.
03 February 2019
THANKS FOR JOINING US!
That brings us to the end of our live updates from UFC Fortaleza on a night where Marlon Moraes lived up to his nickname and produced a "Magic" performance to stake his claim for a shot at UFC bantamweight gold later this year.
Don't forget to check out our MMA coverage on RT Sport throughout the week as we build up to the next big UFC show, UFC 234, as Robert Whittaker puts his UFC middleweight title on the line against Kelvin Gastelum and middleweight striking sensation Israel Adesanya takes on legendary former world champion Anderson Silva.
MORAES CALLS HIS SHOT
"I'm the best in the division and you know who I deserve," said Moraes after the fight, making very clear that he wants a shot at TJ Dillashaw's UFC bantamweight title next.
After a performance like that, who can deny him?
FIRST-ROUND FINISH!
That was dominant from "Magic" Marlon Moraes.
The former World Series of Fighting champion got his revenge for his split-decision loss to Assuncao on his UFC debut with a decisive first-round finish of the longtime contender in the main event of UFC Fortaleza.
Moraes cracked Assuncao twice with heavy shots, dropping him with the second and following him to the mat in search of a finish.
Moraes advanced to top position, looked to work some ground strikes, then switched for a guillotine choke submission, rolling over to be on top and forcing the tap from the helpless Assuncao, who had no answer for Moraes' high-octane display.
MAIN EVENT: ASSUNCAO vs MORAES
It's time for the main event of the evening as Brazilian bantamweight contenders Raphael Assuncao and Marlon Moraes for the second time looking to push themselves to the front of the UFC's bantamweight queue.
Here's UFC heavyweight champion and fight analyst Daniel Cormier with a pre-fight breakdown...
ALEX WANTS ALDO
Jose Aldo just told the crowd in Fortaleza he wants to fight on the card the next time the UFC returns to Brazil, and it seems he already has a willing opponent.
Australian featherweight contender Alex Volkanovski produced the best performance of his career to defeat former title challenger Chad Mendes in his last outing, and now the former rugby player has thrown his hat into the ring to face Aldo in Brazil next.
ALDO'S STILL GOT IT!
Just a matter of seconds after we typed to say nobody had put their foot to the pedal, Jose Aldo turned on the afterburners, and how.
The two-time former featherweight champion came out and launched a blistering salvo of strikes at Moicano, who simply had no answer.
A left hook to the head and another to the body opened things up, then Aldo went into full-on berserker mode, chasing his man across the octagon, landing power punches all the way.
Eventually, the former champ had Moicano up against the cage, shipping multiple strikes as referee Jerin Valel wisely stepped in to finish it 44 seconds into the second round as Aldo dived into the crowd to celebrate with his delirious fans.
That was phenomenal.
IT'S TIGHT AND TENSE...
The first round was a very cagey affair between Aldo and Moicano, with both men seemingly trying to work out the other's timing.
Both men look very sharp, and are trying to draw the other man out with feints. But for now it's still very close and neither man has really put their foot to the pedal so far.
IT'S CO-MAIN EVENT TIME!
SUBMISSION!
Demian Maia may be 41 years of age, but there's still plenty of life in the old dog yet.
The Brazilian submission magician took Lyman Good to the canvas, took his back and managed to stay there, even when Good returned to his feet.
Then Maia calmly, patiently worked an opening for a rear-naked choke and when he locked it up, Good had no option but to tap out.
It was Good's first-ever stoppage loss and Maia's 13th submission victory of Maia's mixed martial arts career.
It also snapped Maia's three-bout losing streak and put the popular veteran back in the win column as he notched his 20th victory inside the octagon.
STYLES CLASH AT WELTERWEIGHT
New York's Lyman Good is a former champion in Bellator, but he's fighting a different level of opposition in the UFC, and he's looking to gatecrash the title picture with victory over one of the most respected veterans of the game.
Demian Maia has shared the octagon with a who's who of the UFC in his career, and the BJJ phenom will look to use his grapping skills to turn back the powerful American and score a crowd-pleasing victory.
ANOTHER WIN! ANOTHER SUBMISSION!
Charles Oliveira was fired up, and boy did he show it. He came flying out of the traps in the second round and hurt Teymur with a superb up-elbow, which set up a flurry of punches that very nearly forced the TKO stoppage.
But the fight was allowed to continue, and Oliveira switched attack from strikes to submissions and locked up a choke to force the tap as he extended his submission record to 13 tapouts in the UFC.
Incredible stuff from "Do Bronxs". Not too sure about that victory dance, though...
WILD FIRST ROUND
With two eye pokes, some heavy-handed strikes and a couple of scrambles on the ground, the first round had just about everything as Oliveira and Teymur went to war in Fortaleza.
Crucially, Teymur was docked a point by referee Jeren Valel after his first eye poke of the fight prompted an injury time-out. Usually referees give the fighters the benefit of the doubt in the first case, but this time the official opted to take a point straight away.
Teymur then accidentally repeated the offence seconds after the bout resumed, but this time the action was allowed to continue.
It clearly fired up Oliveira and led to a wild opening round that had the crowd on its feet.
The Brazilian leads on the cards, possibly by two points, thanks to that point deduction.
STRIKER VERSUS GRAPPLER
Sweden's David Teymur is a ferocious lightweight striker. The Swedish Muay Thai champion has heavy hands and punishing kicks, and possesses an exciting fighting style that has made him one of the most thrilling UFC athletes to emerge from Europe in recent years.
But tonight he's facing, statistically at least, the best grappler to ever set foot in the octagon.
Charles Oliveira has more submissions than any other fighter in UFC history (12) and has collected more Performance of the Night bonuses than any fighter in UFC history (8).
If Teymur can spring a shock and put away the Brazilian on enemy territory, he will catapult himself towards the ranking positions in the UFC's super-competitive lightweight division. But he if he lets Oliveira get a hold of his neck, it'll be game over.
This one should be a fascinating clash.
UNBELIEVABLE KNOCKOUT!
Johnny Walker is the real deal, ladies and gentlemen.
After dancing his way to the octagon, Walker calmly started his contest with Justin Ledet before exploding into life with a spectacular knockout finish.
A hook kick, then a spinning backfist dropped Ledet to the canvas, then Walker attempted to throw a (very) illegal soccer kick at his grounded opponent, which thankfully missed.
Walker then regained his focus and battered Ledet with ground strikes until the referee dived in to finish it after just 15 seconds of the very first round.
Walker then said he wanted to fight again, and called for a fight at UFC London. After that performance, you can bet the British fight fans would certainly love to see him added to that fight card!
THIS ONE SHOULD BE FUN...
Light-heavyweights are up next, as American former boxer Justin Ledet takes on one of the rising stars of the UFC's light-heavyweight division, Brazil's Johnny Walker.
Both men love to stand and bang, as former heavyweight Ledet looks to halt the momentum of British-based Brazilian Walker, whose stunning knockout of Khalil Rountree inside two minutes of his octagon debut had the whole world sitting up and taking notice.
ANOTHER SPLIT DECISION!
And another controversial verdict, as "The Brazilian Gangster" Livinia Souza takes the victory over Sarah Frota with scores of 29-28, 28-29, 29-28.
Once again, we thought the win was headed to the other corner, but two of the three octagonside judges saw the fight in favor of the smaller athlete, who hands Frota the first loss of her MMA career.
WE'RE OFF AND RUNNING WITH THE MAIN CARD...
A women's catchweight contest kicks off the action on the main card as Lívia Renata Souza takes on Sarah Frota.
Frota missed weight by a colossal SEVEN pounds at Friday's official weigh-ins, making the contest a catchweight at just a couple of pounds below the next weight class above.
But Souza accepted the fight, and took the forfeited money from Frota's fight purse. And now she'll look to hand Frota her first career defeat and make a statement.
ANACONDA CHOKE!
Rising Brazilian star Markus Perez has the fans on their feet in Fortaleza as he puts American debutant Anthony Hernandez to sleep with a superb anaconda choke submission.
Perez hurt Hernandez right from the start of the second round with a thumping body kick, then pursued his opponent across the cage, eventually locked up a standing choke, then dragged his opponent to the mat and sent him unconscious.
An all-action bout produces another finish, and another Brazilian victory.
FINAL PRELIM ON DECK
It's time for our final preliminary bout of the night, as American newcomer Anthony "Fluffy" Hernandez takes on Brazil's Markus Perez in a battle of middleweight prospects.
ROMERO BORELLA GETS THE WIN
It wasn't the most exciting fight of the night, but Italy's Mara Romero Borella gets the nod via split decision.
It won't challenge for any post-fight bonuses, but it's an important victory, as Romero Borella secures her second UFC victory and hands the Brazilian her first career defeat.
WOMEN'S FLYWEIGHTS HIT THE CAGE
Italy's Mara Romero Borella takes on Brazil's Taila Santos in a battle of women's flyweight prospects.
Santos is making her UFC debut with an unbeaten 15-0 record, while Romero Borella already has a win and a loss in the UFC.
Will the Brazilian crowd be celebrating another win here?
SPLIT-DECISION DRAMA!
A breathless welterweight clash goes all the way to the judges' scorecards after three punishing rounds in Fortaleza.
Griffin looked to have shaded that third and final round, using his wrestling to dominate Alves on the mat and avoid being drawn into another firefight on the feet.
But despite Griffin seemingly doing enough to secure the final round, two of the three judges scored the fight 29-28 in favor of the Fortaleza-born veteran as Alves was awarded the victory.
Griffin will be absolutely gutted to lose that, and it's not the first time he's lost out narrowly on the cards, but he is clearly improving fight to fight, and will continue to grow.
But tonight was Alves' night, as he claims an emotional - and perhaps slightly surprising - victory.
WHAT A FIGHT!
Roared on by his hometown crowd, Thiago Alves came storming back into the fight in Round 2 with a display of sheer guts and willpower as he overpowered Griffin's superior technique with non-stop forward momentum and heavy-handed strikes.
Griffin stood and traded with the Brazilian, but Alves's strikes clearly took their toll as the former title challenger produced an incredible round to bring himself right back into contention in this contest.
It's anyone's fight as we head into the third and final round, and our Fight of the Night prediction is looking pretty good...
02 February 2019
ALL-ACTION FIRST ROUND!
Max Griffin looks in outstanding form. He hurt Alves early in the round with a short uppercut that had the Brazilian on his knees covering up against the fence, but the American wasn't able to get the finish.
Alves managed to recover well and appeared to be working his way back into the round, but was badly hurt again in the final seconds and was dropped to the canvas just as the buzzer sounded.
Had there been 10 more seconds in that round, this fight would be over. But Alves survives and we head into Round 2.
ALVES vs GRIFFIN: EXPECT ACTION
Fortaleza's own welterweight veteran and former world title challenger Thiago Alves takes on always-aggressive American Max Griffin next in a bout that we reckon might just challenge for Fight of the Night honors by the end of the evening.
Alves has always been an exciting fighter, while Griffin always pushes the pace and brings the action. This one could produce a thrilling finish, or could go all the way to the scorecards with a back-and-forth war.
Either way, this one should be a cracker of a contest.
ROZENSTRUIK EXPLODES! AND IT'S ALL OVER!
Clearly Jairzinho Rozenstruik wasn't happy with how he acquitted himself in the opening round, because he came out firing in the second.
An uppercut was followed by a left hook and a right hook as he stunned Albini, then decked him with a huge head kick.
A furious flurry of fists to the grounded Brazilian forced the referee to dive in and stop the contest and, after a pedestrian first round, Rozenstruik demonstrated his devastating potential in the second round.
That was impressive.
NO QUICK KO...
We may have cursed that first round!
Rather than an explosive start to the contest, we saw a sluggish start, as Albini looked to close the distance and nullify Rozenstruik's strikes.
It made for a slow-paced fight as Albini struggled to use his basic grappling skills to subdue Rozenstruik on the mat. For his part, Rozenstruik's grappling was even more basic, but he did just enough to avoid being submitted by a Kimura midway through the round.
Rozenstruik had some late success with his strikes, but it's wide open as we head into Round 2.
HERE COME THE HEAVYWEIGHTS
Brazilian heavyweight prospect Junior Albini returns to the octagon looking to secure a big win on home soil in Brazil tonight, but he's up against a dangerous debutant with a formidable record.
Suriname's Jairzinho "Bigi Boy" Rozenstruik is a decorated kickboxing ace who has transitioned to mixed martial arts and amassed an undefeated record of 6-0, with five of those wins coming by way of knockout.
This one might not last long, so don't blink!
DE FREITAS CLAIMS DEBUT WIN
De Freitas eventually earns the win after a back-and-forth battle that went all three rounds.
Undefeated prospect Colares looked to be physically exhausted in the third round and De Freitas' striking looked capable of finishing the fight but, for some reason, he instead opted to keep taking the fight to the canvas.
It was perhaps a more tactically-sound approach as it meant he avoided the possibility of walking into a stray punch, but it meant the bout went the distance when a finished looked to be there for the taking.
The scorecards read 30-27, 30-27, 30-26 as "The Spartan" kicked off his UFC career with a hard-earned win.
UP NEXT: AN ALL-BRAZILIAN BATTLE
We're moving up the weight classes next, as a pair of featherweights face off at 145lbs in our next contest.
Geraldo de Freitas Jr. takes on Felipe Colares in a battle of in-form Brazilian prospects who are both making their UFC debuts.
Geraldo is riding a six-fight win streak that stretches back to 2015, while Colares is unbeaten at 8-0, with all bar one of his wins coming inside the distance.
This one should be lively.
FIRST-ROUND FINISH!
Said Nurmagomedov made a mockery of the pre-fight odds that had him as the underdog as he produced a brilliant display to finish Ramos in the first round.
A jumping spinning back kick to the midsection had Ramos backing up in pain, and Nurmagomedov saw his opportunity, closed in and finished his man up against the fence with punches.
That was a hugely impressive performance from Nurmagomedov, who improves his MMA record to 13-1 with a TKO finish on his second UFC appearance.
BANTAMWEIGHT BATTLE...
Up next, a pair of 135lb prospects enter the octagon with Said Nurmagomedov, namesake and friend of UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, takes on Sao Paulo's Ricardo Ramos.
Nurmagomedov was typically stoic as he headed towards the octagon for his second UFC appearance, but Ramos was a ball of energy. He's an exciting talent, and this one should be a thrilling clash of styles.
BONTORIN GETS THE SHOCK WIN
After three action-packed rounds, the fight goes to the judges' scorecards.
And Bontorin gets the nod with a shock split-decision win, with scores of 29-28, 28-29, 29-28.
The final round was closely contested, and finished with Bontorin threatening with a rear-naked choke as the buzzer sounded. But it looked as if Bibulatov shaded the striking during that final frame.
It proved that Bontorin is more than worthy of his spot on the UFC roster, and he'll be an exciting matchup for a host of flyweights in the months ahead.
IT'S ANYONE'S FIGHT HEADING INTO ROUND 3
On paper, this fight was a gimme bout for Bibulatov, but as we head into the final round, the scorecards are almost certainly going to be level.
Bontorin had the edge in Round 1. Bibulatov shaded a very competitive Round 2.
Now it comes down to the final five minutes...
BONTORIN STARTS FAST
The Brazilian debutant may be the biggest underdog on the card, but he just had an outstanding opening round.
He more than held his own against Bibulatov and showed his dangerous grappling skills on the mat, where he twice threatened with rear-naked choke attempts.
Bibulatov stayed calm, however, and escaped on both occasions. The Russian looks the more dangerous man on the feet. Can he make his stand-up advantage pay in Round 2?
WE ARE LIVE!
The credits are rolling in Fortaleza and the two fighters in the first preliminary bout will be in the octagon shortly.
We're kicking off with a 127lb catchweight contest between Brazil's Rogerio Bontorin and Russian Magomed Bibulatov. The matchup was scheduled as a flyweight contest, but 11th-ranked Bibulatov missed weight at yesterday's official weigh-ins.
Both men have 14-1 records, and both will be keen to kick off the night with a notable victory.
LOOK OUT FOR... JOHNNY WALKER
He shares his name with a popular brand of alcoholic drink, and you can expect Brazilian light-heavyweight Johnny Walker to pack even more of a punch than a shot of the famous whisky with which he shares his name.
Walker is a Muay Thai wrecking machine and an imposing figure at 205lbs. His octagon debut was a scarily impressive one, as he demolished Khalil Rountree inside a round with a devastating display of his striking prowess.
And now he faces the canny former heavyweight operator Justin Ledet, who will present a tricky, more elusive, target than Rountree this weekend.
Walker may well be the next exciting light-heavyweight prospect to emerge, and the Brazilian, who actually lives and trains in England, will look to smash his way through to the upper echelons of the 205-pound division.
THE NURMAGOMEDOV DYNASTY CONTINUES
Said Nurmagomedov, namesake (but no direct relation) of UFC lightweight world champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, is set for action in the second bout of the night.
The 12-1 flyweight prospect arrived in the UFC and made an impact on his debut by defeating Justin Scoggins by split decision to put himself right in the mix at 125lbs.
And now he lines up against Brazil's Ricardo Ramos, who has an identical record, but already has three UFC bouts under his belt.
There's also Russian involvement in the opening bout of the night as Magomed Bibulatov takes on Rogerio Bontorin. The bout was scheduled to take place at flyweight, but will now be run as a 127lb catchweight contest after Bibulatov missed weight at yesterday's official weigh-ins.
SUBMISSION STARS FACE KNOCKOUT ARTISTS
The main card also features a pair of the very best submission artists in UFC history as they go head to head with a pair of heavy-handed knockout artists
Welterweight Demian Maia is widely regarded as one of the top two or three Brazilian jiu-jitsu artists in UFC history, and he returns to continue his evergreen career against American powerhouse Lyman Good.
And Maia's compatriot Charles Oliveira holds the records for the most Performance of the Night bonuses (seven) and the most submission finishes (12) in UFC history. He'll face heavy-handed Swedish star David Teymur in what looks set to be a thrilling lightweight bout.
ALDO RETURNS TO FACE RISING STAR
The co-main event features the return of a Brazilian legend.
Former WEC and UFC featherweight world champion Jose Aldo remains one of the very best pound-for-pound fighters to ever come from Brazil, and the 32-year-old superstar is set to face rising contender Renato Moicano in the night's co-main attraction.
Aldo was actually offered the main event spot on this card, but instead asked for a three-round contest, rather than a five-round bout.
The former world champion proved he still has the fire in his most recent outing when he finished the uber-aggressive Jeremy Stephens with a crushing body shot at UFC Calgary.
And, as a result, Aldo will face Moicano who has lost just once in his 15-fight career and is looking to claim the biggest scalp of his career following his impressive submission of respected veteran Cub Swanson last August.
BANTAMWEIGHT BATTLE
The night's main event features a bantamweight rematch between two of the best 135-pounders not to have already challenged for the UFC bantamweight world title.
Raphael Assuncao has been there or thereabouts in the bantamweight division for years. He is good everywhere the fight goes, but he has one big problem - he doesn't finish fights.
He'll be going head to head against fellow countryman Marlon Moraes, a former World Series of Fighting champion who, in contrast, is renowned for his finishing abilities.
Despite this, when the pair met in June 2017 it was Assuncao who took the win via split decision. Now the pair will face off again in a contest that may well produce a future bantamweight contender to face current champ TJ Dillashaw.
UFC FORTALEZA: FIGHT CARD
Here's your bout lineup for tonight's event in Fortaleza, Brazil:
Preliminary Card
1. Rogerio Bontorin vs Magomed Bibulatov (127lb catchweight)
2. Ricardo Ramos vs Said Nurmagomedov (bantamweight)
3. Geraldo de Freitas Jr vs Felipe Colares (bantamweight)
4. Junior Albini vs Jairzinho Rozenstruik (heavyweight)
5. Mara Romero Borella vs Taila Santos (women's flyweight)
6. Thiago Alves vs Max Griffin (welterweight)
7. Markus Perez vs Anthony Hernandez (middleweight)
Main Card
8. Livia Renata Souza vs Sara Frota (123lb catchweight)
9. Johnny Walker vs Justin Ledet (light-heavyweight)
10. Charles Oliveira vs David Teymur (lightweight)
11. Demian Maia vs Lyman Good (welterweight)
12. Jose Aldo vs Renato Moicano (featherweight)
13. Raphael Assuncao vs Marlon Moraes (bantamweight, 5 rounds)
IT'S FIGHT NIGHT!
Good evening, everyone, and welcome to RT Sport's live coverage of UFC Fight Night 144, which comes from the Centro de Formacao Olimpica do Nordeste in Fortaleza, Brazil.
We'll bring you live updates throughout the night as a packed card of fighters, including a host of Brazilian stars, take center stage in Brazil.