Raffael Cerqueria made his UFC debut against Ibo Aslan at UFC 308, after the undefeated light heavyweight saw three fights on the Contender Series fall through this season.
While Cerqueria entered the night with a perfect record, questions remained, especially given he had never gone past the second round.
This fight, as many predicted, was both incredibly violent and short as a new fighter announced himself to the UFC’s 205lbs division.
The fight started with Aslan stalking Cerqueria and immediately taking the center of the octagon. Cerqueria was forced to the outside, back against the cage, looking extremely cautious. When Raffael finally decided to pull the trigger, he elected to throw a leg kick. The strike partially landed but Aslan clipped him with a left hook across the temple, simultaneously. The shot caused Cerqueria to stumble back against the cage. Smelling blood in the water, Aslan just let it fly. Ibo uncorked an 18 some-odd punch combination of hooks against the fence that saw his opponent nearly flatlined multiple times. Raffael could do nothing but cover up as he was melted by strikes. The ref mercifully stepped in to stop the fight, sparing Raffael from ending his night lying in an unconscious heap on the canvas.
In his post-fight interview, Ibo Aslan asked the crowd if they enjoyed his display of Turkish power. When asked which opponent he wanted next, Ibo issued a warning saying that he was coming for everyone in the light heavyweight division.
Official Result: Ibo Aslan def Raffael Cerqueria by TKO, Round 1, 0:51
