UFC 283 Results & Review

UFC 283 Results & Review

The first PPV Event of 2023 was one Rio will not forget! With multiple victories for the native fighters and travelling abroad combatants alike. With the retirement of the great Shogun Rua and the induction of the King of Rio, Jose Aldo into the Hall of Fame, it is no wonder why the Brazilians are so passionate about their deep routed history inside of combat sports. With the last UFC event in Brazil being almost 3 years ago when Lee faced Oliveira, the fans have been more than pumped to see the return of the organization. 

Main Card

Jamahal Hill defeats Glover Teixera via Unanimous Decision

Jamahal Hill exercised his takedown defence early and stuffed a number of attempts from Teixera. The American landed the more important, more definitive shots, including knees, kicks and punches in the first round and neutralized any attempts to wrestle. In round 2, Hill landed 2 crowd silencing head kicks that put Glover in real danger. Hill followed up with more strikes and looked close to finishing before the former champ returned with some punches of his own and finally secured a takedown to regain some control. What a round! Hill landed another crunching head kick to wobble Glover yet again, busting up the Brazilian on the feet and ground. The referee kept a close eye on the action before Hill let his opponent back to his feet. 

Hill continued the onslaught in round 3 and managed to secure another point. The start of the fourth emphasized the extent of the damage of Glover's face. But the 43-year old did not show an ounce of quit, kept pushing forward and continued to show some success. Although Hill finished very strongly, landing multiple head strikes and almost ending the fight again. The doctor had a close look at the state of Texiera before the final round, but concluded to let the fight continue. A final hail mary allowed Teixera to secure a takedown early in the fifth. Then transitioning to full mount, but a tricky escape and reversal put Hill back on top and then a comfortable end to the round on the feet.

Jamahal Hill won over all three judges 50-44 on the scorecards, leaving no doubt in any one's mind that he is now the undisputed UFC Light-heavyweight Champion of the world. It was an emotional training camp and an even more emotional win for the contender series combatant Jamahal Hill as he burst into tears following the acknowledgement of his title win, addressing the doubters and encouraging those who believe in themselves to keep fighting for what they believe in. Another MMA great and Brazilian legend left their gloves inside of the cage, this time at the tender age of 43, as Glover Teixera ended with pure grace and respectability. He continued to tell the home crowd to be respectful to the new champion and delivered a post fight interview and retirement speech that signify the reputable brilliance of Glover Teixera.

Brandon Moreno defeats Deiveson Figueiredo in Round 3 via TKO (Doctor Stoppage - Eye Injury)

A strong feeling-out first round saw versatility from both fighters choosing to strike and grapple at different moments of the first 5 minutes. Brandon seemed to have bagged the first with just a little more activity. A second round of trading blows and grappling reversals showed the true extent of why these two men are so evenly matched. The champion attempted a second more promising guillotine to no end, whereas Moreno managed to inflict a cut on the eyebrow of Deiveson and attain more ground control time. In the third, Figueiredo received a devilish left hook causing another cut around the right eye. Deiveson found his way to the ground on the wrong side of control due to the punch effecting his eye, where the Mexican Interim Champion took full advantage with vicious ground and pound.

After the third round, the doctor stepped in to take a look at the eye injury of the champ, in which he could show no sign of sight out of the right eye. The fight was stopped and Brandon Moreno reclaimed his Flyweight UFC World Title. The replay showed a clean punch, although it was led with the knuckle of the thumb which angled straight into the eye of Deiveson, causing the complete closure of the right eye. It seemed Moreno was up on the scorecards and was deserving of the title win despite the controversy. Figueiredo mentioned during his post fight speech, he would be moving up in weight division.   

Gilbert Burns defeats Neil Magny in Round 1 via Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) 

Burns had a tough job finding a way around the reach of Neil Magny, even on the ground. However a cool, calm and calculated sequence of transitions gained Burns the full mount and secured an air-tight arm triangle forcing the former US marine to tap. After last year's barn burner against Khamzat Chimaev, which many thought Gilbert won, and now a dominant display over rank #12, Gilbert 'Durinho' Burns belongs highly positioned among the world's greatest UFC Welterweights. Gilbert made a brash callout to Colby 'Chaos' Covington and with the American's even brasher past comments about Brazil, I'm sure that's a fight the fans would love to lay their eyes on!

Jessica Andrade defeats Lauren Murphy via Unanimous Decision

A very entertaining first round saw these two ladies slug it out from pillar to post. The powerful boxing of Jessica Andrade took a toll among the tough and durable Lauren Murphy. Whose face by the end of the second round had been battered and bruised and it only seemed to be getting worse. The commentary team called for a towel throw from Murphy's corner, but that is not the cloth from which she is cut. The dominance of the former strawweight champ continued as Lauren absorbed a tremendous amount of head damage. Jessica Andrade secured a UD win in commanding fashion and is in distance of a flyweight title shot.

Johnny Walker defeats Paul Craig in Round 1 via TKO (Punches)

It was over before you knew it. Paul Craig caught a kick of Walker, leading to an impressive and athletic show of balance and power for Johnny to land a number of hooks and hammer fists whilst balancing on one leg. The Brazilian sent the Scotsman down where Marc Goddard had seen enough to end the fight. With Walker beating Craig, Craig beating Hill and Hill beating Walker, we catch ourselves in a division with a volatile ranking. However, Johnny Walker has found himself catching a second wind after training at SBG Ireland and has high hopes for his future.  

Prelims

Ihor Potieria defeats Shogun Rua in Round 1 via TKO (Punches)

Shogun Rua stands with the most light-heavyweight fights in UFC history (24) although that was not enough to beat the tough and crafty Ukranian. Both fighters had their moments, the crowd going absolutely crazy for any Rua success. Unfortunately for the home crowd, Potieria landed a flurry of fast, well timed punches to send Shogun down and cause the referee to intervene. Shogun ended his career in his home country, 16 years in the greatest combat promotion in the world and an incredible lifetime of fighting. A pioneer from Pride Kickboxing to a Championship in the UFC, Shogun Rua can leave his gloves inside the Octagon, knowing he achieved the highest accolades as a fighter.  

Brunno Ferreira defeats Gregory Rodrigues in Round 1 via KO (Punch)

Some heavy landed strikes from both parties saw an even start to the round, although, 'Robocop' seemed to be the more durable fighter. Until that is, a thunderously placed straight left hand from Ferreira put the fiercely tough Rodrigues straight into dream world and out on to the canvas. An incredible debut for Brunno Ferreira shows a promising future within the company and for a Brazilian jury to take witness must be all the sweeter. 'The Hulk', fighting out of Evolucao Thai and coming off the Contender Series sits pretty with 10 finishes as an undefeated fighter.   

Thiago Moises defeats Melquizael Costa in Round 2 via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke)

A short notice debut for Costa saw a difficult first round as Moises' strong experience allowed him to control the grappling. The second round showed more of the same with some even striking exchanges. Thiago managed to land 2 blistering elbows on the ground to open up the ear and eyebrow of his slowly fading opponent. An eventual second round rear-naked choke saw Thiago pick up another submission win.  

Gabriel Bonfim defeats Mounir Lazzez in Round 1 via Submission (Guillotine)

The first fight of the prelims saw Gabriel Bonfim with a lightning fast finish against Lazzez in just 49 seconds. A super aggressive start from Bonfim forced Lazzez to attempt a takedown which would be his only mistake of the fight. Gabriel secured a textbook guillotine to secure the submission and extend his unbeaten record to 14-0. His brother scored a picture perfect flying knee knocking Terrence McKinney out cold in the early prelims. In his post fight interview, Gabriel affirmed he and his brother had their sights on Lightweight and Welterweight gold.

Early Prelims

• Jailton Almeida defeats Shamil Abdurakhimov in Round 2 via TKO (Strikes)
• Cody Stamann defeats Luan Lucerda via Unanimous Decision
• Ismael Bonfim defeats Terrence McKinney in Round 2 via KO (Flying Knee)  
• Nicolas Dalby defeats Warlley Alves via Split Decision
• Josiane Nunes defeats Zarah Fairn via Unanimous Decision
• Daniel Marcos defeats Saimon Oliveira in Round 2 via KO (Strikes)

An outstanding night of fights lit the city of Rio up with many fighters and stars coming out see the spectacle. Although no gold will remain in Rio De Janeiro, many fighters sporting the yellow and green showed up, gave it their all and won the hearts of their countrymen and women. With the end of Covid and a highly successful event, hopefully we shall see the UFC return sooner than later. Jeunesse Arena set the bar for pay-per-view events for the rest of the year with incredible high and enthusiastic energy!