UFC 212 took place Saturday night from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The promotion’s return to the city featured a title unification bout in the main event between featherweight champion Jose Aldo, and interim champ Max Holloway. Aldo, for his part, was fighting in Brazil for the first time since 2014, while Holloway rode in on a ten fight win streak.
The Fight Pass Preliminary portion of the card saw a trio of fights for fans with the streaming service, including a featured fight between strawweights Viviane Pereira and Invicta FC veteran Jamie Moyle. Pereira entered UFC 212 on a career high, an undefeated 12-0 and coming off a win over former title challenger (and recent Bellator signee) Valerie Letourneau.
Marco Beltrán vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
A flyweight scrap between Brazil’s Deiveson Figueiredo and Mexico’s Marco Beltran kicked off the UFC 212 action. Beltran opened right away with a kick, that didn’t land but set the tone for things to come, as he’d work in a number of kicks throughout the first round. Figueiredo would try for a takedown ninety seconds in, and after some spirited defense from Beltran on the first shot in, Figueiredo would get things to the ground on the second attempt. From there, he would work his way into a guillotine attempt that started out with questionable positioning, but with fluid movement became much more dangerous. Beltran, however, refused to panic, and found himself in top control dropping bombs with under a minute left in the round. They’d make it back to the feet as the round came to a close.
Starting out in the second, Beltran appeared light on his feet and pressed the action, landing a heavy leg kick on Figueiredo. The Brazilian, meanwhile, continued to fight on the outside, looking for a way to get inside. Ninety seconds in Figueiredo would attack and take the action to the mat, attempting a guillotine briefly once more then passing to mount only to have Beltran escape back to half guard. After landing some heavy ground strikes, Figueiredo managed to take the back and lock in the rear naked choke. Beltran, however, would manage to survive. He’d later find himself fending off a heel hook, and again they’d finish the round on the feet, with Beltran staggered and almost saved by the bell. However, at the last moment the ref waved it off, and Figueiredo wins in his debut!
Deiveson Figueiredo def. Marco Beltrán by TKO, Round 2, 5:00
Luan Chagas vs. Jim Wallhead
The evening’s second bout was a welterweight showdown between Curitiba, Brazil’s Luan Chagas and Brit “Jud” Jimmy Wallhead. The pair circled early, throwing but not landing much until Chagas landed some hard leg kicks with just under a minute gone in the round. Chagas would flow in and out of southpaw, changing stances to keep Wallhead off guard. Wallhead, meanwhile, would look to and his jab. After getting tagged, Wallhead tried a desperation shot in but couldn’t convert. That resulted in more exchanges, with Chagas getting better of nearly all of them, utilizing a strong counter game. With under a minute left, Chagas found a home for a high kick then followed up with a number of lefts and other strikes. Wallhead would survive the round, but things were looking dire for him.
Round two saw Wallhead start out strong, following his jab with a solid let hook. Wallhead then ate a low blow, bringing a pause to the action. However, he refused to take much in the way of time, sensing that he’d finally been scoring early in the round. Chagas answered back with a jab of his own and another left high kick, before Wallhead landed a right. Wallhead continued to press forward, eating some of Chagas’ best shots then fending off a takedown attempt. Some time later, Wallhead would suffer an eye poke that the ref didn’t see initially, with Wallhead himself stopping the action in a risky move. The ref would break the fighters apart and warn Wallhead that only he could stop the action, but a replay showed that an eye poke did in fact take place. Once action was restarted, Wallhead continued bringing the volume, with Chagas answering with heavy leg strikes. With twenty seconds or so left, Chagas would drop Wallhead, rush in with some follow-up strikes on the ground, then take the back and lock in the rear-naked choke. Wallhead taps, and Chagas gets the victory!
Luan Chagas def. Jim Wallhead by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 4:48
Viviane Pereira vs. Jamie Moyle
Round one saw Pereira and Moyle frequently entering into the clinch, fighting for dominance, and working up alongside the cage. However, neither fighter was able to score much in the way of damage until Moyle was able to land a number of knees in the clinch. Back in the middle of the cage at the round’s halfway mark, Moyle began working the jab consistently. Some combos would follow but Pereira was able to land a hard counter right that seemed to light a fire under her. A number of Pereira attacks would follow as Moyle worked to settle back down into a rhythm again. Pereira would end the round looking strong on the feet, landing a number of combinations prior to the bell sounding.
The second saw more stand up action early, more clinch work, and Moyle using a wider variety of kicks after seeing a couple caught during the first round. However, Pereira continued to land at a higher volume, scoring more significant strikes. With just over a minute and a half remaining, the Brazilian was unloading on her opponent, opening up a cut near the eye of her opponent that seemed to distract her. Not long after, Moyle saw another kick caught, resulting in her being dumped on her back.
For the first time on the card, the action made it to the third round. Moyle easily could have been down two rounds, and looking for a finish. Pereira, meanwhile, continued putting on a striking clinic, with significant power behind most of her strikes. Round three would wind up looking much like the first two, with the action going the distance and Pereira clearly getting the upper hand.
Viviane Pereira def. Jamie Moyle by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
UFC 212 Fight Pass Prelim Results
Viviane Pereira def. Jamie Moyle by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Luan Chagas def. Jim Wallhead by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 4:48
Deiveson Figueiredo def. Marco Beltrán by TKO, Round 2, 5:00
