UFC Fight Night 51 Results: Winners, Scorecards of Silva vs. Arlovski Fight Card
UFC Fight Night 51 may not boast a lot of high-profile fights—no titles are on the line, and there are few Top 10 fighters on the card—but that doesn't mean the action has to suffer on Saturday night.
Look to UFC 177 from just two weeks ago for proof. Restructuring led to a fairly underwhelming card and a pretty uneven main event between Joe Soto and champ T.J. Dillashaw, but the fights were tremendous, and it turned into a thoroughly entertaining night.
With Brazil, where the atmosphere is always electric, serving as the backdrop, and an intriguing rematch between heavyweights Antonio Silva and Andrei Arlovski in the main event, there's no reason UFC Fight Night 51 can't at least provide some excitement.
Let's take a look at the results as they play out from Brasilia.
Heavyweight: Andrei Arlovski Def. Antonio Silva Via Knockout
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It was a pretty solid night for the Brazilian fans, but the main event didn't go their way, as Andrei Arlovsky knocked Antonio Silva to the ground and finished the fight in the first round with an impressive win.
Arlovski looked better from the opening bell, landing punches to the midsection and moving nicely before landing the knockout just under three minutes into the fight.
What a massive win for "The Pit Bull." The former heavyweight champion has now reeled off four straight wins, but none of them are quite as big as this one, a knockout of the man who beat him back in 2010. It will be intriguing to see who Dana White, who was clearly impressed, will match him up with next.
For Silva, he still hasn't earned a victory since beating Alistair Overeem in 2013. Since then, he has two losses with a no-contest mixed in.
Lightweight: Gleison Tibau Def. Piotr Hallmann Via Split Decision
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UFC veteran Gleison Tibau improved to 2-0 in 2014, defeating Piotr Hallmann via split-decision victory. It was a close fight, and the judges' agreed, awarding Tibau the win, 28-29, 29-28, 29-28.
The 31-year-old, who has been with UFC since 2006, just continues to be a rock solid competitor. He's not going to blow anyone away with his performances, and his 15-8 UFC record is fairly average, but he has now won four of his last five bouts.
As for Hallmann, he shouldn't be disappointed in the loss. It was a strong performance, and he easily could have been awarded the victory. However, after 14 straight wins to begin his career, including a submission of Francisco Trinaldo in his UFC debut, he has now lost two of his last three fights.
Lightweight: Leonardo Santos Def. Efrain Escudero Via Unanimous Decision
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Leonardo Santos spoiled the UFC return of Efrain Escudero, winning a back-and-forth fight via unanimous decision.
The 34-year-old Brazilian did much of his work on the ground, winning the first and third rounds with takedowns to earn the 29-28, 29-28, 29-28 victory.
"Lamparao" still hasn't lost a fight since 2009. After a draw against Norman Parke in March, he is now 2-0-1 in UFC and looks capable of making some noise in the lightweight division.
The outlook isn't nearly as bright for Escudero. His second stint in UFC went poorly with losses to Mac Danzig and Jacob Volkmann at UFC 145 and 141, respectively, and it doesn't look like his third stint will go any better.
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Welterweight: Santiago Ponzinibbio Def. Wendall Oliveira Marques Via KO
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Although it wasn't the most anticipated fight on the card, Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Wendell Oliveira was an intriguing fight between two men who were seeking their first UFC win.
El Rasta was able to do just that, taking out Oliveira via first-round knockout.
It was actually Oliveira who looked a little bit more spry, connecting on several kicks, but Ponzinibbio landed the punch that mattered. A massive left stunned Oliveira, and after Ponzinibbio pounced, the referee was forced to intervene and stop the fight.
Ponzinibbio, 27, lost his UFC debut against Ryan LaFlare in November, but this is a nice win that should build some momentum for the Argentine.
Bantamweight: Iuri Alcantara Def. Russell Doane Via Unanimous Decision
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It was the veteran over the prospect in the main card's second fight, as 34-year-old Iuri Alcantara pleased the home crowd with a unanimous victory over Russell Doane, who was previously undefeated in the UFC.
While Alcantara was the victor on all three judges' scorecards, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28, it was an entertaining scrap. Marajo controlled the first two rounds, while Doane won the third.
Alcantara is now a solid 6-2 in UFC fights, and after a loss to title contender Urijah Faber in August 2013, he has reeled off three wins in a row. Doane is a rising contender, and he was game on Saturday night, but Alcantara handled him well. Another top-five opportunity could be on its way.
On the flip side, this certainly won't be the last you'll hear of Doane. Although this is a minor setback, the 27-year-old Hawaiian proved to be an enticing talent with wins in his first two UFC fights earlier this year. This solid performance was hardly a disappointment.
Women's Bantamweight: Jessica Andrade Def. Larissa Pacheco Via Submission
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In a bout between compelling, young Brazilian up-and-comers, Jessica Andrade earned her third straight UFC victory and spoiled the Octagon debut of Larissa Moreira Pacheco.
Andrade was dominant for every second of the fight before forcing Pacheco to tap late in the first round. It was a thoroughly impressive performance.
The 22-year-old Andrade began her UFC career with a knockout defeat at the hands (and elbows) of Liz Carmouche in July 2013. But she has responded nicely with wins over Rosi Sexton, Raquel Pennington and now Andrade, who had won her previous 10 MMA fights, including three straight stoppages under the Jungle Fight banner.
Andrade has a bright future, and the No. 10-ranked fighter is proving she's deserving of another chance against someone higher on the women's bantamweight ladder.
For Pacheco, the Octagon proved to be a much different experience than she has had before, and it's not the debut she was hoping for. Still, at just 20 years old, she has plenty of time to improve.
Preliminary Card
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Godofredo Pepey def. Dashon Johnson, submission (Round 1, 4:29)
George Sullivan def. Igor Araujo, knockout (Round 2, 2:31)
Francisco Trinaldo def. Leandro Silva, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Sean Spencer def. Paulo Thiago, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Rani Yahya def. Johnny Bedford, submission (Round 2, 2:04)
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