Highly touted flyweights Andre Lima and Felipe dos Santos brought some Brazilian on Brazilian action at UFC Vegas 97 on Saturday night.
Lima (9-0) continued his run at 125 pounds coming into this fight with two consecutive victories over Igor Severino and Mitch Raposo this year. The unfortunate recipient of a bite from Severino, he was able to show his skillset at UFC 302, and came out victorious.
dos Santos (8-1) had an unfortunate start to his career with two fights falling out to begin his UFC run. A loss to Manel Kape at UFC 293 gave the rough start an even bleaker look, but a win over Victor Altamirano in February put him back on track.
An eye poke stopped the action about a minute in, with Lima given some time to recover. Back underway, it was Lima putting the pressure on before a couple of wild punches were exchanged. Dos Santos then opted to pursue a takedown, though Lima was able to fight that off. Dos Santos blocked a Lima head kick; the pair then settled down a little, moving and feinting, throwing the odd punch. Late in the round, Dos Santos would land a bit of a suplex takedown, hoisting Lima up a few times before getting him down. Lima, however, was able to reverse, though Dos Santos was soon back to his feet.
In the second, Dos Santos fired a big knee before Lima tied things up. While Dos Santos would free himself, mere moments later, Lima landed a takedown with apparent ease. He was almost immediately into mount, and the question of whether Dos Santos had tired himself out with his takedown efforts in the first round weighed heavy. Despite the dominant position, Dos Santos would survive the round, with Lima perhaps taking a little too much time getting his offense going.
Lima had the back early in round three, with the pair on the ground. With a bodylock secured just 30 seconds into the frame, Lima was hunting a rear-naked choke, and had it in deep for a moment, but Dos Santos was able to peel the hands away. Lima adjusted his grip, only for Felipe Dos Santos to fight him off again. Andre Lima would hold onto the bodylock for the rest of the round, and while Dos Santos stayed alive to the final horn, it was Lima’s fight.
Official Result: Andre Lima def. Felipe Dos Santos by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
