Felipe Lima walked into enemy territory at UFC Paris and put on a striking clinic against hometown favorite Morgan Charriere. Putting on a striking clinic in Paris, Lima stayed one step ahead for all three rounds before walking away with a unanimous decision victory on Saturday night.
Round 1 – Lima took the center immediately and started sending kicks Charriere’s way, but Charriere answered with a clean 1-2. Lima continued attacking the calf, looking to take some of the power and movement away from his opponent.
Charriere’s defensive head movement was crisp early, allowing him to slip many of the jabs coming his way. After struggling to find a home for the jab, Lima switched things up and launched a flying knee that narrowly missed.
Charriere refused to give up much ground, preferring to stay in range and look for counters even as Lima began sneaking clean jabs through his defense.
Lima continued to use his movement to create different angles and openings, while Charriere was content to hold his ground and capitalize on whatever counter opportunities Lima gave him.
As the round went on, Lima’s slight speed advantage became more noticeable. He started landing with greater consistency and appeared to be finding his rhythm.
Lima changed levels late and shot for a takedown, but Charriere immediately attacked the neck and threatened with a guillotine before the horn brought the round to an end.
Round 2 – Charriere took the center once again, but this time he immediately went to work with kicks to the body while looking to close the distance and take away Lima’s space.
Lima’s boxing remained clean and quick, catching Charriere before he could rely on his head movement to slip out of danger. Lima mixed his combinations well, digging to the body before bringing his punches back upstairs and keeping Charriere guessing.
Charriere continued to chase Lima around the cage and managed to land some offense of his own, but nothing that appeared to do any significant damage. Lima remained composed on the outside, using his speed and footwork to stay one step ahead while picking his spots.
With just over 35 seconds remaining, Lima landed a slick combination before changing levels and putting Charriere on the canvas. Charriere quickly worked his way back to his feet, refusing to give Lima much control time.
Lima finished the round looking like the sharper fighter, consistently beating Charriere to the punch and mixing his attacks effectively. Charriere continued pressing forward until the horn, but Lima’s speed and variety made it difficult for him to build any sustained offense.
Round 3 – Lima came out for the final round looking fresh, immediately mixing up his attacks by going to the legs, digging into the body and then bringing his shots upstairs. Charriere, meanwhile, looked like a fighter who knew he was in a hole but wasn’t quite sure how to dig himself out of it.
Lima had no interest in taking his foot off the gas. He continued to stick and move, bouncing around the cage and forcing Charriere to chase him down. Charriere kept coming forward, but struggled to effectively cut off the cage and trap Lima long enough to get anything significant going.
Charriere eventually found a body lock and drove Lima into the fence, but couldn’t turn the position into much offense. He remained patient, perhaps a little too patient considering he likely needed something big after potentially dropping the first two rounds.
Fatigue may have also started playing a factor as Charriere simply couldn’t match Lima’s pace or activity. Lima continued touching him with shots and getting out of danger before Charriere could answer.
With less than 40 seconds remaining, the two finally planted themselves in the center and Lima unloaded a flurry of strikes. Charriere attempted a push kick but came up empty before Lima cracked him with a left hook.
Then Lima decided subtlety was officially overrated.
He screamed at Charriere and begged him to come forward and trade, looking for one final firefight before the horn. Charriere never really took the bait, and the round ended with Lima shouting at his opponent after putting an exclamation point on a strong final five minutes.
Masterclass in MMA striking by Felipe Lima.
Official Result: Felipe Lima def. Morgan Charriere via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
