Lima (15-9) announced the news Wednesday, via his verified Instagram account. The welterweight’s statement can be found below.

Hey guys I am making this post to announce that I will be retiring from fighting. My timing and Gods timing is completely different, I feel like I’m in my prime but he has bigger and better plans for my life. I know when God speaks to me and he was clear that my fighting days are over. Thank you for everyone that has supported me through this journey. One thing I do is obey God even when I don’t want to and that’s the a lesson I hope you take from this, his plans are always better. Thank you UFC for my career and always taking care of me I will be around as a coach there because I have plenty of young guns that will make it and I will be there for them!!

Lima had been scheduled for an April date with Miguel Baeza. The status of that bout is now unclear, but it seems Baeza will need a new opponent.

After kicking off his professional career in 2010, Lima arrived in the UFC by way of The Ultimate Fighter 19 in 2014. Lima made it all the way to the final, only to come up short against Eddie “Truck” Gordon. Ultimately, however, Lima’s career would eclipse that of the TUF champ, who lost all three of his subsequent UFC bouts and exited the promotion the following year.

Lima, too, would be shown the door by the UFC in 2015, but after a solid run on the regional circuit that saw him win the Titan FC welterweight championship, Lima got another crack at the big show. As part of The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption, the 25th season of the reality fighting show, Lima again went all the way to the finals — but again came up short.

After losing to Jesse Taylor in the TUF 25 final, and adding a follow-up loss to Yushin Okami, Lima was on the ropes. But he bounced back with three straight wins in 2018-19, only to fall short in his last two outings. Most recently, Lima was knocked out by Matt Brown in 2021.

In addition to his Titan FC title and runner-up status on two separate seasons of The Ultimate Fighter, Dhiego Lima also won Performance of the Season on TUF 19.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZxO9-FPyQ4/

Update, 2/9/2022: In an interview with MMA Fighting later in the day on Wednesday, Lima explained that God had spoken to his wife, saying “Dhiego’s last fight was his last fight.” Which leaves Baeza in need of an opponent. The original story has been updated to reflect this development.

The post UFC Welterweight Dhiego Lima, Two-Time TUF Veteran, Announces Retirement appeared first on Cageside Press.

The bout between Baeza (10-2) and Lima (15-9) was first reported by Best Fight Picks. Both men would later confirm the booking on social media.

Both fighters will be looking to get back in the win column come April, and snap two-fight losing streaks.

For Baeza, a.k.a. “Caramel Thunder,” he dropped fights to both Khaos Williams and Santiago Ponzinibbio in 2021. To his credit, the Ponzinibbio bout did earn him a Fight of the Night bonus, even if the decision didn’t go his way. The fight was also in the running for Fight of the Year.

After winning his way into the promotion on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019, Baeza immediately rattled off three consecutive wins. His biggest to date was a TKO finish of Matt “The Immortal” Brown in 2020.

Lima, who also lost two bouts in 2021, dropped fights to Matt Brown and Belal Muhammad. Prior to those defeats, the Ultimate Fighter 19 and 25 runner-up had won three straight. Brother of former Bellator MMA welterweight champ Douglas Lima, Dhiego is on his second stint with the UFC, as after being cut in 2015, he made his way back to the promotion via TUF 25.

The UFC’s April 16, 2022 Fight Night event does not have a venue, location, or broadcast plan officially announced. Currently, the following fights have been reported for the card:

Drakkar Klose vs. Brandon Jenkins
Jesse Ronson vs. Rafa García
Miguel Baeza vs. Dhiego Lima

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Lima, brother of two-time former Bellator MMA welterweight champ Douglas Lima, was circling early. Brown, who probably hasn’t taken a backwards step in his life, pressed forward. He’d go to the body with a kick when he was able to close the distance, throwing the kick off a punch. Brown went to the body, but ate a nasty leg kick from Lima. Rather than check the kick, Brown fired an even harder kick back in return. Lima’s kicks were adding up, however, not surprising as the Lima brothers were well-known for them.

The second round saw Lima tying things up along the fence. Brown easily fought off the takedown, then caught Lima with a left hand. Lima fired another kick to Brown’s lead leg; he’d shoot for another takedown, but Brown hopped back to the fence and stayed upright. Brown was still pressing forward, but Lima’s kicks were piling up — right up until Brown put his opponent down with a right hand. Lima, who had fired one of his own, missed as Brown ducked it. Brown did not, and Lima wound up face-planting.

https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1406392530875437061

“Not bad for 40,” Brown exclaimed following the fight.

Official Result: Matt Brown def. Dhiego Lima by knockout, Round 2, 3:02

The post UFC Vegas 29 Results: Matt Brown Leaves Dhiego Lima Face Down appeared first on Cageside Press.

First reported by MMA Fighting, UFC veterans Matt Brown and Dhiego Lima will fight at a yet-to-be-announced UFC event on June 19.

Brown (22-18) will be looking to snap his two-fight skid and get back in the winner’s circle, something he has done time in time again throughout his 27-fight UFC career. Brown was riding a two-fight winning streak with two nasty finishes of Diego Sanchez and Ben Saunders, until he ran into undefeated prospect Miguel Baeza. Baeza ended up finishing “The Immortal” via TKO at UFC on ESPN 8 last May. Brown returned to action on the first UFC fight card of 2021 in the co-main event against Carlos Condit. He would end up losing via unanimous decision.

There were talks about Brown being the one to welcome Dan Hardy back to active competition but obviously, that isn’t happening. At least not yet.

Lima (15-8) just had his three-fight winning streak snapped by Belal Muhammad at UFC 258 two weeks ago. His three-fight streak consisted of a knockout of Chad Laprise and two split decision wins. The Brazilian was out all of 2020 with a neck injury.

No location or venue has been set for the UFC’s June 19 date. No other fights have been reported as of yet.

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Muhammad announced the new date on his own podcast, Remember the Show.

Muhammad (17-3) currently sits on a three-fight win streak, most recently defeating Lyman Good back in June. Originally paired up with Sean Brady for his next assignment, he saw Lima step in when Brady withdrew due to a broken nose.

However, due to a positive test for COVD-19, Muhammad was forced out of that December 19 pairing.

Lima (15-7), a TUF 19 finalist, is on a three fight win streak of his own at the moment. The brother of Bellator champ Douglas Lima is on his second stint with the UFC, and also appeared on TUF Redemption. In his last three bouts, he’s secured wins over Chad Laprise, Court McGee, and Luke Jumeau. The Jumeau bout, Lima’s most recent, took place in October 2019.

The UFC 258 fight card does not currently have a location officially announced. However it’s expected to be held at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The following bouts have been reported to date for the PPV event.

Kamaru Usman (c) vs. Gilbert Burns
Uriah Hall vs. Chris Weidman
Gabriel Green vs. Philip Rowe
Maycee Barber vs. Alexa Grasso
Polyana Viana vs. Mallory Martin
Julian Marquez vs. Maki Pitolo
Kelvin Gastelum vs. Ian Heinisch
Rodolfo Vieira vs. Anthony Hernandez
Pedro Munhoz vs. Jimmie Rivera
Dhiego Lima vs. Belal Muhammad

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First reported by Farah Hannoun at MMA Junkie, with Brady dropping out, Muhammad and Lima are set to put on a show at welterweight.

Definite intrigue surrounds Belal “Remember the Name” Muhammad to see how he adapts to this new challenge. Muhammad is right on the cusp on top contention, making this an important fight for the Chicago native.

While his wrestling can sometimes dull the audience, when he is judicious with his ground and pound, he is a problem for the division. Overall Muhammad and Lima should for an exciting fight.

As demonstrated by his last three wins, Muhammad is a monster on the ground. Specifically, his grappling acumen frequently wins him fights. Over his last three, Muhammad has picked up victories over Curtis Millender, Takashi Sato, and Lyman Good.

Lima, training at American Top Team, will be fighting for the first time since October 2019. Criminally underrated, the Brazilian is riding a three fight win streak. Not only that, but he’s a long welterweight, and that reach advantage could be the downfall for Roufusport product Muhammad. Lima enters the bout with a huge six inch reach advantage.

The UFC’s December 19 card currently includes the following bouts:

• Leon Edwards vs. Khamzat Chimaev
• Geoff Neal vs. Stephen Thompson
• Rob Font vs. Marlon Moraes
• Antonio Braga Neto vs. Deron Winn
• Tafon Nchukwi vs. Jamie Pickett
• Rick Glenn vs. Carlton Minus
• Tyson Nam vs. Matt Schnell
• Manel Kape vs. Alexandre Pantoja
• Belal Muhammad vs. Dhiego Lima

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Dhiego Lima, brother of former Bellator welterweight champ Douglas Lima, was back in action at UFC 243 in Melbourne, Australia. There, he took on local favorite Luke Jumeau. Jumeau, a.k.a. ‘The Jedi,’ was a New Zealand native fighting for the first time since 2018.

Lima went to the body early, while Jumeau stayed on the outside. He was looking for a way in, and started with an outside leg kick. Lima would launch a kick of his own moments later; that was followed by another. Single strikes and kicks were the story early on, with neither men getting combinations off. An eye poke by Jumeau then halted the action, but Lima was good to continue.

Back underway, Jumeau was already showing the effects of the leg kicks he had eaten. Lima, as if sensing that, fired another one.

In the second, a brief flirtation with the ground after a leg kick didn’t last, with Jumeau coming right back up. Lima would later catch a kick and try to get his opponent down again; again Jumeau popped back up. They’d go to work along the fence, Lima in control. They’d break; back in the open, Lima would circle on the outside. Again, a slow pace commenced, until the latter part of the round, where an explosive exchange saw both men landing. Jumeau connected with an uppercut. Lima, however, would get Jumeau down against the fence. From there, he’d fire off some short left hands, while Jumeau tried to explode out. He did, just prior to the buzzer.

The third had Jumeau down on the scorecards and in need of a finish. That didn’t seem likely unless ‘The Jedi’ committed to an attack that involved more than a single strike. Lima, meanwhile, continued to unleash those nasty leg kicks. In the end they’d go the distance, and when it came to the scorecards, well, two of them got it right. One judge saw it for Jumeau, for reasons unknown.

Official Result: Dhiego Lima def. Luke Jumeau by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

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Court McGee was the winner of the 11th season of The Ultimate Fighter. After losing in the first round of the show, McGee re-entered the tournament to replace an injured competitor. McGee went 2-0 in the tournament, including defeating Brad Tavares to reach the finals. “The Crusher” won his first three fights in the UFC, including the TUF Finale. Since then, he is 5-6, but holds a win over middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. Most recently, McGee snapped a two-fight losing streak with a win over Alex Garcia in October. He returns at UFC Fort Lauderdale, facing Dhiego Lima.

Lima, the brother of former Bellator champion Douglas Lima, was a finalist on the 19th season of The Ultimate Fighter after winning by submission twice. His success did not carry over to the UFC, going 1-3 and getting cut in his first stint. Lima then went 2-1 outside the Octagon, winning the Titan FC welterweight title and getting invited on the Redemption season of TUF. Lima reached the finals again, going 3-0 on the show. The Brazilian lost to Jesse Taylor in the finals but is 1-1 since then, knocking out Chad Laprise in his last appearance.

Lima stayed on the outside early, and connected a couple of times in the opening minute. McGee stalked him, getting in a few shots of his own. The pair would exchange several times, with Lima’s left hand being a threat. He’d land it several times, including a solid connection near the midway point of the round. McGee was eating punches coming in, with Lima’s counter game serving him well. That finally forced McGee into a takedown attempt, but Lima fought it off. Later, in the final minute, McGee would look for another takedown, and pulled off a rather nice throw, leading to the pair going down — if only briefly. The round ended with McGee looking to get Lima down, to no avail.

Slick toss from @Court_McGee at #UFCFtLauderdale pic.twitter.com/kKovBQTydZ

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) April 27, 2019

Round two continued to back-and-forth on the feet, with less thought of a takedown. McGee mixed in some leg kicks, but Lima seemed to be ever so slightly ahead. He continued to counter, move out of range, and generally forced McGee to come to him. The in-and-out proved rough going for McGee, although Lima was a tad less active in the second compared to the opening round. Lima finished the round looking for his own takedown.

McGee threw a kick upstairs early in the third, while Lima went to the body. Court McGee shot for a takedown in the first minute of the round, but Lima easily fought it off. McGee was showing a bit of damage around the eyes at this point, while Lima looked to have a little left in the tank. That said, it was a relatively close affair, and McGee was certainly not out of it. Not unexpectedly, he turned it up towards the end of the bout, and scored a knockdown in the final seconds! But would it be enough? Not in the end.

Dhiego Lima def. Court McGee by split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

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Saturday night, the UFC returned to Toronto after two years away, and once again, brought Max Holloway with them. Returning to the scene of his interim featherweight championship win, Holloway was now the established, undisputed champion. Calling Toronto the “tenth island,” the Hawaiian native was set to defend his belt against the surging Brian Ortega at UFC 231.

That title fight was one of two on the card, as Valentina Shevchenko and Joanna Jedrzejczyk renewed a rivalry rooted in their Muay Thai days as they clashed for the UFC’s vacant flyweight crown. With a win, Jedrzejczyk would become the first female two-division champion in UFC history. Shevchenko, on the other hand, was looking to claim UFC gold for the first time, after the title eluded her in the bantamweight division.

While the two title fights boosted the PPV card, the early action brought a selection of newcomers and veterans to the Air Canada Centre Scotiabank Arena. Ultimate Fighter 27 winner and Canada’s own Brad Katona anchored the featured slot on the UFC Fight Pass prelims Saturday, taking on Matthew Lopez. Lopez represented a couple of years worth of UFC experience, but was coming off back-to-back losses. A solid test for the recent TUF winner.

Prior to that, another Canadian Ultimate Fighter winner was in the octagon, as Chad Laprise faced Dhiego Lima in welterweight action. Lima, brother of former Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima, is notable as probably the only fighter to make the finals of two seasons of The Ultimate Fighter — and lose both.

Devin Clark vs. Aleksandar Rakić

Light heavyweight action kicked off the UFC 231 card, and Aleksander Rakic kicked off the fight with a kick. He paid for the attempt via an overhand punch from Clark, which rocked Rakic. That led to a grappling exchange, but Clark would again rock Rakic closer to the middle of the round. Rakic would ground himself with both hands (Ontario has not adopted the new Unified Rules), only for Clark to land a punishing series of knees anyway. Clark may not have been aware Rakic was grounded, and the ref failed to intervene. Rakic would recover and reverse position, but he’d been rocked twice. His kicks, however, had been taking their toll on Clark’s lead leg. Then came the momentum shift. With Clark on the attack, Rakic landed a back fist. Not a spinning attack, mind you, a straight back fist. Clark went down, Rakic pounced and unloaded with ground n’ pound, and this time, the ref was paying attention.

WOW! Aleksandar Rakic kicks off #UFC231 with a 1st round knockout! pic.twitter.com/dZwjYEj0uk

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) December 8, 2018

Aleksandar Rakic def. Devin Clark by TKO, Round 1, 4:05

Carlos Diego Ferreira vs. Kyle Nelson

Lightweight Kyle Nelson stepped up short notice to face Brazil’s Carlos Diego Fereira at UFC 231, and impressively made weight despite signing on for the fight just days earlier. It was Nelson who connected first with a check hook, and while Ferriera would land a moment later, a right hand connected for Nelson. Another seconds later would hurt Ferreira; Nelson would attack the body, winding his opponent, and wobble the Brazilian again. Ferriera tried to lure the Canadian to the ground, but he was having none of it. However, Nelson would slow as the round progressed, not surprising given the lack of a fight camp. He’d land another solid right hand, wobbling Ferreira again, and forcing the Brazilian to shoot a takedown. Ferreira then began working on a kimura, and when that failed, simply switched to ground n pound. Ferreira would move to mount in a scramble, coming close to finishing, but the newcomer Nelson would survive the round.

Ferreira came out swinging and light on his feet in the second, but quickly landed a takedown on Nelson, who looked more than a little flat-footed. Ferreira moved to mount in due course, and landed blows as Nelson covered up, forcing the stoppage.

Carlos Diego Ferreira def. Kyle Nelson by TKO, Round 2, 1:23

Chad Laprise vs. Dhiego Lima

Chad Laprise immediately backed Dhiego Lima up against the fence in their early welterweight battle. The Canadian opened with a leg kick, and would go back to the move several times. Lima used his lateral movement and stance switches to evade Laprise’s attacks, and while Laprise was moving in on the offensive, Lima dropped him! A left hook that led to a walk-off KO for Dhiego Lima.

Walk-off KO from @DhLimaMMA at #UFC231! pic.twitter.com/FMrdviAtqV

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) December 9, 2018

Dhiego Lima def. Chad Laprise by knockout, Round 1, 1:37

Brad Katona vs. Matthew Lopez

TUF 27 winner Brad Katona was looking for his first win since the series finale when he took on Matthew Lopez in the featured fight of the UFC 231 Fight Pass prelims. As the action got underway, Lopez caught a Katona kick and landed a right hand. Katona circled on the outside, while Lopez sought to counter. Lopez would find success with his right hand, but Katona was able to land a right of his own. Katona’s low kicks were looking effective, but he struggled to close the distance at times. Lopez was reaching as well, something his corner very audibly chastised him over. As the final minute of the round arrived Katona went to the body, and Lopez returned fire upstairs with a left. It was Lopez finishing the round strong with a takedown in the final twenty seconds.

Round two saw Lopez catch a kick again, and dump Katona on his back. Katona, however, quickly popped back up. The led to some back-and-forth on the feet, with Lopez working his jab and some leg kicks, among other attacks. Katona looked to be the fresher fighter as the round progressed, and he began mixing up his kicks, going both low and high on Lopez, who seemed to be slowing. His punches were a little sloppy, and in the final minute, Katona began pulling ahead.

Heading to the third round for the first time on the UFC 231 card, Katona was poised to take control of the fight via superior conditioning. Lopez was noticeably flat on his feet. Katona moved in-and-out with his punches, scoring with his right hand. Lopez was still in it, landing a left, trying to slip Katona’s attacks. Yet as the round wore on, his mouth was open, and he was breathing deeper. Katona, comparatively, was dancing around him. Then, in the final seconds, Katona landed a takedown, a few blows, and sunk in a quick rear-naked choke! He didn’t have hooks in, instead trapping an arm, and the bell sounded, but Lopez appeared to be out! When Katona released the hold, Lopez slumped forward then stumbled around the octagon for a moment. Yet the ref opted to go to the scorecards, not that it changed much.

What an end to the Brad Katona vs. Matthew Lopez fight at #UFC231! 😳 pic.twitter.com/noOkS05x1j

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) December 9, 2018

Brad Katona def. Matthew Lopez by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Check back come fight time (6PM EST) for full results and a recap of all the early action from UFC 231!

UFC 231 Fight Pass Preliminary Results:

Brad Katona def. Matthew Lopez by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Dhiego Lima def. Chad Laprise by knockout, Round 1, 1:37
Carlos Diego Ferreira def. Kyle Nelson by TKO, Round 2, 1:23
Aleksandar Rakic def. Devin Clark by TKO, Round 1, 4:05

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While anticipation in the Gila River Arena will be for the expected barn-burner between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje, there are several storylines going into the card that are expected to deliver on fight night. From anticipated returns, to appearances by potential future superstars, there will be no shortage of things to watch out for at UFC Glendale.

In the co-main event, former interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit will be facing the heavy hitting Alex “Cowboy” Oliveira who steps in on roughly two week’s notice to replace Matt Brown. Condit famously went the distance with Robbie Lawler in 2016 for the welterweight championship where he was five minutes from becoming world champion before a strong finish by Lawler helped the champion retain the title. When Condit was submitted quickly by Demian Maia in his next outing, he stunned the MMA world by stepping away from the cage. He took a sixteen-month layoff, seemingly content with his fighting career being over, before he returned in a losing effort to top-ten ranked Neil Magny last December. He has since admitted that he was not as focused as he could have been and looks to remedy the situation on Saturday.

Oliveira has long had a reputation as an exciting contender, but it’s his last outing that has made fans a believer of his gamesmanship.  His back-and-forth battle with Yancy Medeiros last December brought so much excitement that it succeeded in stealing attention from the Eddie Alvarez and Justin Gaethje bout that came roughly a half hour later, no small feat to be sure.  Now, he steps in to face another exciting fighter in Condit in an attempt to get back in the win column.

On the undercard, “The Last Stylebender” Israel Adesanya steps back into the Octagon after a showing flashes of promise in his UFC debut. An undefeated prospect, Adesanya needed two rounds to stop Rob Wilkinson in Australia in February. Many expected Adesanya to be able to eliminate the veteran Wilkinson with ease but it wasn’t until the second round where Wilkinson stopped throwing offense that Adesanya was able to get the finish. The New Zealand product took the victory in stride, but admitted that he did not get to showcase the dazzling array of skills that were expected of him. He now promises to show more of what made him one of the most highly touted prospects in MMA as he takes on Marvin Vettori who enters his fifth UFC bout after years on the European circuit.

In preliminary action, former middleweight title challenger Yushin Okami returns to the welterweight division as he faces former TUF finalist Dhiego Lima. Okami was once best-known for having an official victory against Anderson Silva, albeit by disqualification due to actions by “The Spider.” He went on to have 18 fights in the UFC, becoming a perennial top-five contender in the organization. When he was released after going 3-1 in four bouts in 2012, it was a surprise to many. The reason given was the UFC felt there was nowhere left for Okami to go in the UFC after a failed attempt to gain the middleweight title.

He struggled in the World Series of Fighting, going 2-2 against top-flight competition.  He made the move down to the welterweight division but it wasn’t until last year that he returned to prominence. The UFC lost half of their headliner as Mauricio “Shogun” Rua pulled out of his fight with Ovince Saint Preux for the promotion’s return to Japan.  Okami agreed to move up to face the light-heavyweight contender where he was subsequently submitted in an embarrassingly dominant fashion.

For Dhiego Lima, an unsuccessful first run in the UFC led to his release from the promotion in 2015.  He would be returning to the organization the same way he arrived the first time: through The Ultimate Fighter. This time he was part of the “Redemption” season where several fighters who did not pan out in the UFC were given a second chance to make it into the organization. Lima reached the finals of the competition again, this time losing to Jesse Taylor. Taylor would subsequently be suspended for failing a pre-fight drug test for his next bout, blemishing his own story of redemption in the eyes of the fans and media. For Lima, he was now faced with the uneasy circumstances of having lost his own chance at redeeming himself with a TUF victory and yet doing his part of remaining a clean fighter. A win over Okami will not put a trophy on his mantle, but will go a long way toward easing the loss last year.

In a weekend packed with MMA action, it should be noted that UFC Glendale could be one of the final bouts aired on the FOX network as their current broadcast deal with the UFC is set to expire at the end of this year. If so, then the card is a great testament to the formula that worked for the UFC over the past several years in pitting future title contenders and up-and-coming stars in their greatest bouts.

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