Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza Back to Winning Ways

When Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Derek Brunson first met under the Strikeforce banner in 2012, Brunson lasted 41 seconds in the cage before succumbing to a knockout.

Lasting 330 seconds this time around, the same result materialised in the first round once again.

Fighting in front of a hometown crowd in North Carolina, Brunson undoubtedly made a better start to his rematch against Jacare compared to the first time they squared off. But he couldn’t withstand the pressure piled on by his Brazilian foe as he turned it up a gear.

The fight finished when Jacare threw a devastating headkick to Brunson, wobbling the American. Souza then followed up his headkick with a series of punches to a defenceless Brunson, forcing the referee to intervene.

This was Jacare’s first appearance in the Octagon for over nine months. The Brazlian Jiu-Jitsu ace’s last outing in the cage saw him suffer a TKO loss to current UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in what was considered an upset at the time.

Saturday night was a triumph return to form for the man known as the “alligator.”

Andre Fili Gets Split Decision Nod Over Dennis Bermudez

If there are any fights which can typify how difficult and subjective MMA judging can be, this would be a candidate.

Fili, by far the taller and longer man, utilised a combination of rangy jabs, slick footwork and well-timed blast takedowns to throw off the shorter Bermudez.

However, Bermudez was constantly closing the distance, peppering Fili with punches and thudding calf kicks into the retreating Fili’s legs.

The judges decision largely hinged on what aspect of an MMA fight you value the most. Fili scored a number of takedowns, but Bermudez got up each time with ease. Bermudez was the aggressor in the fight and statistically outstruck his opponent, but Fili was effective in his evasiveness.

Tough fight to score, but it was Fili who earned the nod from the judges sat cageside.

UFC on FOX 27: Jacare vs. Brunson 2 full results:

Middleweight bout: Ronaldo “Jacare” Silva defeats Derek Brunson by KO (head kick and punches) at 3:50 of round 1.

Featherweight bout: Andrei Fili defeats Dennis Bermudez by Split Decision after 3 rounds. (Judges scores: 29-28, 29-28, 27-30)

Lightweight bout: Gregor Gillespie defeats Jordan Rinaldi by TKO (punches) at 4:46 of round 1.

Welterweight bout: Drew Dober defeats Frank Camacho by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds.

Lightweight bout: Bobby Green defeats Erik Koch by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds.

Featherweight bout: Mirsad Bektic defeats Godofredo Pepey by TKO (body punch) at 2:47 of round 1.

Women’s Flyweight bout: Katlyn Chookagian defeats Mara Romero Borella by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds.

Women’s Strawweight bout: Randa Markos defeats Juliana Lima by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds.

Women’s Flyweight bout: Ji Yeon Kim defeats Justine Kish by Split Decision (SD) after 3 rounds. (Judges scores: 29-28, 30-27, 28-29)

Lightweight bout: Vinc Pichel defeats Joaquim Silva by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds.

Welterweight bout: Niko Price defeats George Sullivan by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:21 of round 2.

Featherweight bout: Cory Sandhagen defeats Austin Arnett by TKO (punches) at 3:48 of round 2.