UFC Fight Night 51 Results: The Real Winners and Losers from Silva vs. Arlovski
It doesn't get much more Brazilian than UFC Fight Night 51.
The card, which went down Saturday night in Brazil's capital city of Brasilia, featured at least one Brazilian fighter in each of its 11 contests. And though none of the contests carried any title or even contender implications, well, it's still Brazil, and that means exciting fights and the most engaged fanbase in mixed martial arts. A Brazil card is usually a fun card.
In the main event, Brasilia native and massive heavyweight Antonio Silva battled still-kicking veteran Andrei Arlovski. The two tangled once before, with Silva taking a decision from Arlovski in a 2010 bout back in Strikeforce.
The co-headliner featured another monstrous Brazilian in lightweight Gleison Tibau, who took on promising young buck Piotr Hallmann.
As always, the final stat lines only tell so much of the story. Want to know what really happened Saturday night? Pour up the caipirinhas and read on to see the real winners and losers from Fight Night 51.
Winner: Andrei Arlovski
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The first time they fought, Antonio Silva was the underdog but came out with the victory.
On Saturday night, Andrei Arlovski returned the favor.
All the trouble came on the end of Arlovski's right hand. About halfway through the first round, Arlovski landed two consecutive right hooks on Silva's massive jaw. The second one sent Silva to the canvas. A few seconds and several hammerfists later, the Brazilian crowd was silent and Arlovski had a knockout.
"I train hard, I work a lot, and it was very important for me that I knock him out," Arlovski told broadcaster Jon Anik in the cage after the fight.
This was Arlovski's fourth-straight win and his second in a row since returning to the UFC. Now 35 years old and once relegated to the novelty circuit, is Arlovski a contender in the UFC heavyweight division? It's kind of a crazy thought. But it's also a crazy (and crazy thin) division.
Who knows? Most people didn't have him getting even this far.
Loser: Antonio Silva
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It's hard not to feel for Antonio Silva.
He was clearly hyper-focused coming into this fight, taking place in front of his hometown faithful. But he never had much of a chance to transfer that energy into anything kinetic; he seemed still very much in his own feeling-out phase when Arlovski landed those haymakers.
It's another down chapter in a roller-coaster career, following the high-then-low of his instant-classic draw with Mark Hunt, which was later overturned after Silva failed a drug test.
But fans will also remember his stirring recent knockouts of Alistair Overeem and Travis Browne.
What to make of Silva? He's large, he's likable and he's inconsistent. Kind of a walking encapsulation of the entire division.
Winner: Gleison Tibau
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No Brazilian fighter has more UFC experience than Gleison Tibau. In his 22nd Octagon contest, Tibau won his second-straight match and fourth in his last five with a hard-fought split-decision win over a very game Piotr Hallmann.
With the win, Tibau, who is famous for the massive bulk he carries into the cage after a steep weight cut, advanced to 15-7 in the UFC and 30-10 overall as a professional.
He's still only 31 years old and shows no signs of flagging, so it looks like he could be standing strong at the lightweight gates for years to come.
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Loser: The UFC in Mexico
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Efrain Escudero could slice and dice me eight ways from Sunday, but he is not a top UFC competitor. On Saturday the 28-year-old lightweight started his third separate tenure with the UFC, despite holding only a 3-4 record in the Octagon coming in.
After three rounds with Leonardo Santos—a world-class grappler but a fairly one-dimensional mixed martial artist—Escudero proved again he probably does not have the chops to hang with the world's best. Santos tired early and stayed that way, but still pulled out a unanimous-decision win.
So why does Escudero keep getting chances? Demographics might have something to do with it. The UFC is openly eager to break into the Mexican market; Mexican-American Escudero could give Mexican UFC fans someone new to root for.
Outside of heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez and the engaging but uneven Erik Perez, there isn't a lot of top MMA talent out there with strong ties south of the border. The UFC surely hopes Escudero could flesh out that contingent, but after another uninspiring effort, they may need to pin those hopes elsewhere.
Winner: Russell Doane
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I don't believe there are no moral victories. I think there most certainly are, and I think Russell Doane got one at Fight Night 51.
The oddsmakers were with Iuri Alcantara coming into the fight according to Odds Shark, as were analysts and fans eager to see the talented and exciting Brazilian reach contender status in the bantamweight division.
Doane, as opponents are sometimes wont to do, had a different plan. The Hawaiian grappler landed several takedowns and achieved top control on the ground (even if he didn't always do much damage from those positions). Each frame was close, with Doane coming on strong and, on my scorecard, grabbing the third round.
As you know from the opening sentence, Alcantara won. A fast start and some sharp standup carried him to a decision win. Take nothing away from Alcantara. But Doane made it a close and thrilling fight on a card that was not exactly rife with excitement, and he bolstered his reputation in the process as a solid UFC bantamweight.
Winner: Godofredo Casto
6 of 8Here's a highlight reel for a highlight reel kind of guy: Mr. Godofredo "Pepey" Castro.
The featherweight from Fortaleza just keeps bringing the goods. In his prior fight, he knocked out Noad Lahat with a flying knee. Saturday, after Dashon Johnson slammed him to the mat, he responded by throwing up a triangle choke and snatching a submission win.
Castro is well-rounded and, more importantly, high-flying. He's also now on a two-fight win streak, which evens his UFC record after a tough 1-3 start. If he keeps going this way, he might just make himself a prime undercard destination.
Loser: Paulo Thiago
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Paulo Thiago's decline may have finally reached untenable proportions.
The popular Brazilian welterweight, who also works as a special-forces police officer in Brasilia, entered the night on a big-time skid. Despite fighting in his hometown, his contest with relative unknown Sean Spencer drifted bleakly along the bottom of the undercard.
Spencer's unanimous-decision win doesn't do his domination justice. Spencer whipped Thiago around the cage from bell to bell, punishing the Brazilian with right hands on the feet, ground-and-pound and submission attempts on the ground.
By the end, Thiago was spent. So, one would imagine, is his UFC career. Thiago is shot, his physical talents no longer elite. After dropping three straight and seven of his last nine, it's all but impossible to see how he could remain on the UFC roster.
UFC Fight Night 51 Full Results
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Main Card
Andrei Arlovski def. Antonio Silva by KO, 2:59, Rd. 1
Gleison Tibau def. Piotr Hallman by split decision
Leonardo Santos def. Efrain Escudero by unanimous decision
Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Wendell Oliveira by TKO, 1:20, Rd. 1
Iuri Alcantara def. Russell Doane by unanimous decision
Jessica Andrade def. Larissa Pacheco by submission (guillotine choke), 4:33, Rd. 1
Preliminary Card
Godofredo Castro def. Dashon Johnson by submission (armbar), 4:29, Rd. 1
George Sullivan def. Igor Araujo by KO, 2:31, Rd. 2
Francisco Trinaldo def. Leandro Silva by unanimous decision
Sean Spencer def. Paulo Thiago by unanimous decision
Rani Yahya def. Johnny Bedford by submission (kimura), 2:04, Rd. 2
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