UFC Fight Night 62 Results: Winners, Scorecards from Maia vs. LaFlare Fight Card
Demian Maia taught class Saturday night in his native Brazil, and Ryan LaFlare was the pupil.
In a lopsided main event at UFC Fight Night 62, Maia took an easy unanimous decision from the previously undefeated American. From the beginning of the fight to the end of the fourth round, Maia seemed to take LaFlare down at will. He spent 12 minutes and 49 seconds in top control through the first four rounds.
TSN captures a victorious Maia:
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LaFlare came on strong against a gassed Maia in the fifth round, but it wasn't enough. Bleacher Report MMA has the official scorecard:
The Brazilian repeatedly tried to bait LaFlare to go to the ground to get a break. He attempted this tactic so frequently that referee John McCarthy took a point from him at the final buzzer.
The way Maia finished the bout took some spice away from an otherwise great showing. If looking good is as important in the UFC as most believe, Maia may not have improved his stock. MMA journalist E. Casey Leydon noted the shift in theme for the main event:
That said, a win is a win.
LaFlare came in undefeated but saw that go by the boards. The 31-year-old still has a solid future ahead of him, but his grappling game wasn't up to par, and his takedown defense wasn't good enough to stay out of Maia's web.
In the co-main event, Erick Silva submitted Josh Koscheck with a guillotine in the first round. Submission Radio has the definitive photo and tweet:
Silva was getting the best of Koscheck during stand-up exchanges as the 37-year-old veteran looked lethargic and sloppy for as long as the fight lasted. This was the second consecutive first-round stoppage win for Silva and the fifth straight loss for Koscheck.
Koscheck fought just 21 days ago when he was submitted by Jake Ellenberger. In this fight, Koscheck was stepping in for the injured Ben Saunders. At this point, it's difficult to understand why Koscheck continues to fight. Moreover, one has to wonder why the UFC keeps giving him an opportunity to compete.
Here are the complete results from the card:
| Bentley "Dr. Bolivia" Syler (5-0) vs. Fredy "El Profe" Serrano (1-0) | Flyweight | Serrano by KO (uppercut in third round) |
| Jorge "Blade" de Oliveira (7-1) vs. Christos "The Spartan" Giagos (10-3) | Lightweight | Giagos by submission (rear-naked choke in first round) |
| Leonardo "Macarrao" Mafra (11-2) vs. "The Insane" Cain Carrizosa (6-0) | Lightweight | Mafra by unanimous decision (30-27x2, 30-26) |
| Leandro "Buscape" Silva (17-2-1) vs. Drew Sober | Lightweight | Silva by submission (guillotine in second round) |
| Kevin Souza (15-3) vs. Katsunori Kikuno (23-6-2) | Featherweight | Souza by KO (punch in first round) |
| Francisco "Massarandub" Trinaldo (15-4) vs. Akbarh "El Caballero" Arreola (23-8-1) | Lightweight | Trinaldo by unanimous decision (30-27x3) |
| Godofredo Pepey (12-3) vs. Andre "Touchy" Fili (14-2) | Featherweight | Pepey by submission (triangle in first round) |
| Gilbert "Durinho" Burns (9-0) vs. Alex "Cowboy" Oliveira (10-1-1) | Lightweight | Burns by submission (arm bar in third round) |
| No. 9 Amanda "The Lioness" Nunes vs. "The Queen of Spades" Shayna Baszler (15-9) | Women's Bantamweight | Nunes by TKO (punches in first round) |
| Leonardo Santos (13-4-1) vs. Tony Martin (9-2) | Lightweight | Santos by submission (rear-naked choke in second round) |
| Erick Silva (17-5) vs. Josh Koscheck (19-9) | Welterweight | Silva by submission (guillotine in first round) |
| No. 7 Demian Maia (19-6) vs. No. 14 Ryan LaFlare (11-0) | Welterweight | Maia by unanimous decision (48-46x3) |
Tiger Uppercut!
Fredy Serrano made sure his UFC debut was really good and that Bentley Syler's was really bad. In a fight that looked to be pretty close into the third round, Serrano landed an uppercut that should have been motion-captured for a video game. Vicio MMA has the carnage in this tweet:
The fight was fought almost exclusively on the feet. Serrano was still likely to win a decision since he secured the only two takedowns of the fight. With such an exciting win, there will be some buzz about Serrano's next fight.
Let's just hope Syler is OK.
Tap, Tap...Tap!
Perhaps the ref didn't see, but Jorge de Oliveira tried to tap out to Christos Giagos at least twice before the fight was actually called. Giagos proved to be too much for de Oliveira in every way. MMA Fighting's Guilherme Cruz accurately assessed the action:
Giagos didn't just get the submission win; he also landed 18 significant strikes to zero for de Oliveira. The lightweight division is plenty crowded, but if Giagos continues to put on these types of performances, he'll find himself in the mix at the top.
Cain Ain't Able
The physically impressive Leonardo Mafra painted a three-round masterpiece against Cain Carrizosa in the first Fox Sports 2 prelim. The word "domination" is being thrown around a lot early on in this UFC card. MMAjunkie is the latest to use the term:
What does statistical domination look like?
Mafra spent 6:49 in top control and landed 94 significant strikes to just 44 for Carrizosa. Mafra had lost his first two UFC bouts to Thiago Perpetuo and Rick Story, but he looked like a world-beater Saturday night.
We'll need to see him in the Octagon against a better opponent before we can determine if he's a serious player in the lightweight division.
Controversy
Referee Eduardo Hendy had a tough night. He fouled up the call in the Leandro Silva-Drew Dober battle. Silva locked in a guillotine that looked tight at one point, but Dober looked to be escaping the maneuver.
Apparently, Hendy didn't see Dober's progress. He called an end to the fight, and the MMA community wasn't happy about it.
Cruz reminds us that a legendary referee, McCarthy, once made the same type of mistake:
UFC President Dana White was among those unhappy with Hendy, and that can't be good for the referee's career:
It was unlikely that Silva and Dober would go at it again on the same night, but it's probably safe to assume they will meet again soon. The first round was close, while Silva seemed to take the second frame with two takedowns.
Perhaps we'll see a rematch with more of a definitive conclusion.
Blowing Up Kikuno
It didn't take Kevin Souza long to destroy Japanese legend Katsunori Kikuno. He landed a huge right hand that looked like a calculated blow. Judging by Souza's post-fight comments, it appeared it was in fact planned:
It was a third straight win for Souza. He's beginning to make a name for himself at 145 pounds. He may be close to taking on a serious contender in his next few fights.
Too Much Trinaldo
"Trinaldo -v- Arreola next. I'm taking Trinaldo for this one. #UFCFightNight62 pic.twitter.com/4gRM50T2Yh
— UFC Insiders (@UFCInsiders) March 22, 2015"
UFC Insiders' prediction was on the money.
With dominant grappling, Francisco Trinaldo controlled Akbarh Arreola for 9:14 on the ground. The two men were fairly even when they stood and traded, but Trinaldo smartly made those instances few and far between in the first two rounds.
He isn't exactly a strong contender yet at 155 pounds, but his grappling can't be overlooked.
Pepey is a Finisher
Fox Sports took a dig at Leandro Silva's win while congratulating Godofredo Pepey.
After beginning his UFC career with two consecutive losses, Pepey has now won three straight. All three wins have been finishes. On Saturday, he victimized Andre "Touchy" Fili with a persistent and skilled submission showing.
Pepey came looking for the triangle early. He attempted to hop into position early in the first round and had Fili in trouble. Fili appeared to have weathered the storm, but Pepey wouldn't give up.
He relentlessly pursued the finish and got it. White chimed in again with this complimentary tweet:
Pepey is establishing himself as a contender for more spots on bigger UFC cards.
Burns with the Clutch Submission
Alex Oliveira controlled the first two rounds against the undefeated Gilbert Burns with superior striking, but the third round happened. Burns aggressively went for the takedown at the beginning of the last frame and almost immediately took Oliveira to the mat.
He worked on the omoplata, but Oliveira expertly eluded the submission. Burns transitioned to full mount and then spun that into an armbar that gave him the victory.
MMA Fighting spoke highly of Burns' ground game. Sherdog's Josh Gross applauded an excellent bout by both fighters:
Burns showed some cracks in his stand-up game, but he also proved he had the heart to overcome adversity. He still needs some seasoning, but Burns has an excellent future in the lightweight division.
The Lioness Devours Baszler
Amanda Nunes strikes a Mufasa-like pose for the Fox Sports tweet. Nunes seemed to hurt Shayna Baszler every time she touched her. The final blow—or at least what should have been—was a leg kick that buckled Baszler's left knee.
Baszler crumpled to the mat, and Nunes went in to pound her opponent out. Referee Mario Yamasaki tried to call an end to the fight, but Nunes kept raining down shots for about three seconds.
The extra punches didn't appear to do any real damage, but it was still disheartening to see. Nunes was immediately apologetic, and the fighters embraced afterward.
Fox Sports' Ariel Helwani didn't like the finish either, as Nunes lacked self-control, and Baszler's knee might be seriously injured:
Baszler hasn't had a ton of success in the UFC. Add in what might be a major injury to her knee, and retirement has to be considered. As for Nunes, she's a beast as a striker. However, she'll have to prove she can beat an experienced grappler to be considered the next in line to be squashed by Ronda Rousey.
Santos Tames Tony Martin
Fox Sports notes it was Leonardo Santos' ninth victory by submission.
After a tough first round, Santos took the fight to the ground. Once there, he proved to have more in his arsenal than Tony Martin.
Martin landed 13 significant strikes to eight in the first round, and he topped it off with a takedown. Brian Hemminger of MMAOddsbreaker points out an interesting tidbit on Martin's fast starts:
Santos aggressively slung Martin to the ground in the second round using beautiful hip technique. He patiently transitioned to take Martin's back, and the end was near.
He cinched in the rear-naked choke and forced Martin to tap out.
This was a battle of elite grapplers, but Santos proved to be top dog in this one.
Notable Stats and Thoughts from UFC Fight Night 62
The evening featured seven submission victories. Only UFC on Fuel TV 10 had more with eight. Coincidentally, that card also took place in Brazil, and Pepey, Erick Silva and Santos all fought. Silva and Santos each secured submission wins on that card as well.
To borrow a line from the WWE's Paul Heyman, Giagos was the one in 10-1. In 11 fights featuring Brazilians, the hometown favorites won 10 of them. It was capped off by a dominant performance in the main event by Maia.
It was a great night to be a Brazilian fighter in the UFC.
Two fighters need to seriously consider retirement after this event. This isn't an official stat, but perhaps it should be. Koscheck hasn't just lost five fights in a row; he's been finished in four of them. He's 37 years old and taking a beating every time he gets into the Octagon.
Josh, you've had a solid run, but it's over, man. We'll see if White and Co. save him from himself.
Baszler has never experienced any of the glory Koscheck has in the sport, but she's still taking a bit of a beating in her time in the UFC. She has lost three fights in a row, including two straight in the UFC.
Baszler is 34 years old and may have suffered a significant knee injury Saturday. MMAInjury's Kevin Nicholson gives us some food for thought about Baszler's injury:
She has likely hit her ceiling in the sport and must think about her long-term health.
All stats per UFC.com
Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.
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