Ardelean had won two straight, Viana had lost three in a row. Not much more needed to be said about the match-up and what the stakes were, especially for Viana.

Viana worked a leg kick or two early, but the fight was halted inside of a minute when Ardelean landed an eye poke. The action didn’t stop long, and Ardelean was swinging for the fences and really pressuring on the restart. When they clinched up two minutes in, Viana landed an elbow, but moments later she was briefly dropped. While she got right back up, Ardelean was all over her, letting her hands fly. The pressure and pace from Ardelean was nothing short of impresive, though eventually Viana would get in control in a clinch and press Ardelean against the fence.

For a moment anyway. Ardelean broke free and moved back to center, ending Viana’s rest spot prematurely. And she continued to eat lefts and rights as the round wore on, with Alice Ardelean walking her down, seemingly unable to miss. Viana’s offence was mostly kicks, but she was well behind in the round.

Round two saw Ardelean go a different direction, getting on top early and showing off her ground game. From half guard, she had plenty of time to work with the pair going down all of 30 seconds in. Viana, off her back, seemed to be locking Ardelean down more than setting anything up or escaping.

Ardelean would eventually find space to land some ground n’ pound; at the same time, Viana finally managed to do something, firing elbows off her back. That was the only bright spot for Polyana, however, who had a body triangle in place from the bottom. Eventually, the referee would warn Ardelean to work, as things stalled out a little. Then, out of nowhere, the ref moved in and waved off the fight, as Viana had begun to tap. Ardelean had taken advantage of the bodylock that Viana had in place, putting pressure on the Brazilian’s knee to submit her in one of the most unique moves in recent memory.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED 😳@ArdeleanAlice is now on a 3 fight win streak after #UFCVegas117!

[ LIVE NOW on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/eHIk2DMe35

— UFC (@ufc) May 16, 2026

The win was announced as a capsule lock, the first ever in UFC history, with Ardelean admitting she had picked it up from an Instagram video. Ardelean gets in the history books with that one.

Official Result: Alice Ardelean def. Polyana Viana by submission (capsule lock), Round 2, 4:36

The post Alice Ardelean Stuns with History Making Submission of Polyana Viana at UFC Vegas 117 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Amorim, a former LFA champ, was looking for her fourth consecutive win under the UFC banner. And early on, she had the fight right where she wanted it, on top, then in side control, easily out-working fellow Brazilian Viana on the mat.

Viana, who was on the opposite trajectory having lost two straight, had to contend with a kimura attempt as the midway mark of the round arrived. Viana gutted that out, but Amorim was able to transition to mount, putting Polyana Viana in an even worse spot. Viana tried to buck her opponent off, to no avail. From bottom, she then tried to tie up Amorim’s arms, also without much in the way of success. Amorim, meanwhile, was looking for space to land ground n’ pound while trying to set up an arm-bar.

Try as she might, Viana could not escape from underneath a dominant Jaqueline Amorim. She did survive the frame, and oddly, the ref mistook the 10-second clapper as the horn to end the round. It did not change much, however, with Amorim dominant through five minutes and clearly winning the round.

Polyana Viana was once again on her back just seconds into round two. Amorim was quickly able to move into side control, though Viana clamped down on an arm with her legs to stall her progress. That didn’t really work however, and Viana gave up her back. With a body triangle in place, Amorim had three and a half minutes to work for a choke. Viana fought the hands for a moment, but before long, she was tapping, and Jaqueline Amorim had her fourth straight win, and fourth straight stoppage!

Official Result: Jaqueline Amorim def. Polyana Viana by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 1:49

The post UFC Kansas City: Jaqueline Amorim Dominant, Subs Polyana Viana appeared first on Cageside Press.

Brazilian fighter Polyana Viana had her own plans as she looked to take out one of the longest tenured veterans in the UFC’s female divisions and earn the biggest win of her career, but it was not to be as Robertson dominated with her skillful wrestling and grappling. Robertson faced the challenge of evening the score for her country, as Canadians were 1-2 when her name was called, and she more than lived up to that expectation.

After setting it up with her boxing, Gillian Robertson shot for a takedown and landed it in the first minute. She established a powerful half-guard position and looked for submissions while staying heavy on top. Gillian used her free foot to extricate her other leg and pass to the dominant full mount position. Then she expertly stepped off of mount in pursuit of an arm-triangle. Viana kicked and bucked and created just enough room to escape, but Robertson took her back. She was slick as she transitioned back to full mount and then to an armbar. Viana stacked Gillian and then slam her, creating just enough space to free her arm and take top position briefly before the round ended.

They spent more time on the feet in the second round but Robertson still shot for a takedown and landed it one minute in with a snatch single leg. She again used half guard to advance to a more dominant position and then fluidly passed between full mount and back mount depending on how Viana twisted. Gillian rained down smashing elbows and Viana’s resistance began to grow weaker. She could eventually only turtle up before the onslaught and the referee stepped in.

Robertson drew attention to the fact that this was her second ever TKO in the sport, and that both have come in her home country of Canada. With her tenth win in the UFC, Gillian called to fight a ranked opponent again in her next fight, as she has flirted with being a top-15 fighter for years and is in good form at 3-1 in her last four.

Official Result: Gillian Robertson def. Polyana Viana by TKO (grounded elbows) Round 2, 3:12

The post Gillian Robertson Earns 2nd Career TKO in Canada, Elbows Viana Into Floor appeared first on Cageside Press.

Gillian Robertson (12-8), originally hailing from Niagara Falls, Ontario, will face Polyana Viana (13-6) at the event, expected to take place at the ScotiaBank Arena in Toronto on January 24, 2024.

Robertson revealed the pairing recently on the Fight Bananas podcast. “I just got my contract today, it’s officially signed,” Robertson revealed. “January 20, I don’t have a location currently.” Robertson noted she had heard rumors of Toronto. Sources have previously confirmed to Cageside Press that the event will take place in Toronto, with Dana White confirming a Canadian card on that date during Tuesday’s DWCS 2023 Week 10 post-fight press conference.

Robertson will be looking to get back in the win column at the event, after losing a decision against Tabatha Ricci last time out. That snapped a two-fight win streak “The Savage” had put together in the women’s flyweight and strawweight divisions. Robertson’s last two bouts have come at 115lbs.

Viana has been trading wins and losses her last handful of fights, and is coming off a loss against Iasmin Lucindo in August.

UFC 297 on January 20, 2024 currently has the following bouts reported for it:

• Arnold Allen vs. Movsar Evloev
• Brad Katona vs. Garrett Armfield
• Gillian Robertson vs. Polyana Viana
• Ramon Taveras vs. Serhiy Sidey

The post Gillian Robertson vs. Polyana Viana Booked for UFC 297 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Rafael Dos Anjos

Former lightweight champion RDA has fluctuated between welterweight and lightweight in recent years ever since his hopes of regaining the belt seemed to falter. He has traded wins and losses, going 2-2 in his last four, while looking aged past his prime as well as clearly having some gas left in the tank. With his last two fights being at welterweight, it seems that Dos Anjos prefers to fight at 170-lbs and cut less weight, even if it leaves him at a size disadvantage.

There are a number of veterans at 170 who are not in immediate contention that would make fun fights for RDA. One such name is Alex Morono, who is 5-1 in his last six fights. Morono is not a punishing knockout artist, so this is a way to protect an aging veteran’s health somewhat while still putting Dos Anjos in an interesting fight against a savvy, experienced technician.

Dos Anjos’ Next Fight: Alex Morono

Hakeem Dawodu

Many viewers felt Dawodu was unlucky that the decision did not go his way after fifteen minutes of battling Cub Swanson in the UFC Vegas 78 co-main event. Regardless, the fight goes on his record as a loss, his second in a row and third in four fights. Dawodu still has potential at 145-lbs clearly, but now it’s time to fight another unranked opponent, one with a bit lower status than himself.

Melsik Baghdasaryan is one such fighter. At only 8-2 as a professional, the Armenian is relatively inexperienced but has a solid kickboxing background, much like Dawodu himself. A fight between them would appear to be an electric stand-up affair that could easily earn ‘Fight of the Night’ honors on any card. Dawodu needs to right the ship, but at 6-4 still has a respectable record in the UFC, as does Baghdasaryan, who is 3-1 with the promotion.

Dawodu’s Next Fight: Melsik Baghdasaryan

Chris Daukaus

Once one of the most promising prospects at heavyweight, Chris Daukaus now finds himself on the wrong side of four straight knockouts. He moved down to light-heavyweight for his fight with Khalil Rountree, hoping to find more success, but changing weight classes did not improve his results. Daukaus is now 4-4 in the UFC and has to make a decision on which weight class to fight at. He did not appear oversized for light-heavyweight, so it could be the appropriate division for him.

Either way, he will have to fight an unranked opponent next, something he has not done in any of his last five fights. Fighters like Nicolae Negumereanu, Marcin Prachnio, and Maxim Grishin would all make sense for Daukaus next. Of those, Grishin has the worst record in recent outings at 2-3 in his last five, so he is probably the most appropriate option. As a fellow striker, Grishin would make for a fun fight against the boxing-heavy Daukaus.

Daukaus’ Next Fight: Maxim Grishin

Polyana Viana

After the knockout of a lifetime, Polyana Viana could not keep the momentum going against Iasmin Lucindo as she was choked out in the second round at UFC Vegas 78. Viana is now 4-5 in the UFC, but is also 3-2 in her last five, so there is promise there. Her next fight will be down in the rankings somewhat, against another fighter coming off a loss, like Jessica Penne. Penne has lost two in a row to bring her UFC record to 3-5, putting her in a similar spot to Viana and making them perfectly matched opponents.

Viana’s Next Fight: Jessica Penne

Tafon Nchukwi

Cameroon’s Tafon Nchukwi has now lost three fights in a row in the UFC and is 2-4 overall with the promotion. He may get another change, but not many fighters with that promotion record stick around. Nchukwi is a talented fighter, but it may be time for him to go outside the UFC and round out his game more before attempting to return to the top mixed martial arts promotion in the world.

Nchuwki’s Next Fight: Outside of UFC

Jamie Pickett

Jamie Pickett is now 2-6 in the UFC after his latest loss, his fourth in a row, and its honestly surprising he had not been cut before now. The fact that he accepted a fight against Bo Nickal may have something to do with that. However the UFC is not generally in the business of keeping fighters with three times as many losses as wins, so Pickett will have to fight outside the UFC and get a few wins if he wants to make a return to the promotion.

Pickett’s Next Fight: Outside of UFC

The post What’s Next: UFC Vegas 78 Losers appeared first on Cageside Press.

Lucindo, the youngest female fighter on the roster, had a ten year advantage in youth, but was giving up height, reach, and quite obviously experience. It was Viana finding success with kicks early, low and to the body, which allowed her to clinch up and then land a takedown roughly 90 seconds into the fight.

Lucindo closed her guard while Viana made painstakingly slow progress trying to advance position, which led to a stand-up by the ref. With two minutes still on the clock, it was still anyone’s round, but Viana had the edge to that point. Lucindo flashed some spinning attacks, but a kick was caught by Viana. It was Lucindo, however, landing the takedown after a clinch. Lucindo appeared to have Viana trapped thanks to some smart knee placement, but just ahead of the bell, Polyana pushed her off.

Iasmin Lucindo was light on her feet, practically bouncing to start the second. She then landed a nasty shot that had Viana rocked. Lucindo stayed patient, but may have allowed Viana to recover. With three minutes remaining, Lucindo got the fight down, but as with Viana in the first, there was little progress from Lucindo, who was sitting in half-guard. That drew a warning from the ref to work — and she did. Lucindo set up an arm-triangle choke, and she had it! Viana soon gave a quick tap. and Lucindo had her second straight win inside the octagon.

A prospect to WATCH, ladies and gents! 👀@Iasmin_Lucindo | #UFCVegas78 is LIVE on @ESPN pic.twitter.com/ojVWgn1Gev

— UFC (@ufc) August 13, 2023

Official Result: Iasmin Lucindo def. Polyana Viana by submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 2, 3:42

The post UFC Vegas 78: Iasmin Lucindo Subs Fellow Brazilian Polyana Viana with Arm-Triangle appeared first on Cageside Press.

Viana had been expected to face off with Emily Ducote earlier this year — but hobbled by a pair of injuries, she opted to pull out of the fight.

“I actually had a fight scheduled to go and I had two injuries, one kind of back-to-back with the other, and I decided not to fight injured,” Viana (13-5) told media outlets including Cageside Press during Thursday’s media day. The Brazilian had done that once before, and regrets it. “I fought with a broken toe on my foot, and I didn’t have a good performance.”

When it comes to the all-Brazil match-up with Lucindo, a newer face in the UFC, Viana is taking it in stride. “I don’t know much about her, but sooner or later we’re going to face each other. I know it’s going to be Brazil vs. Brazil. Preferably would not like to fight her, but hey, whatever. Let’s get at it, let’s go at it.”

Having spent roughly two years at the famed Chute Boxe in Brazil now, alongside the likes of Charles Oliveira, a different Polyana Viana has begun to emerge.

“I’ve said from the beginning, I used to say that I only wanted the money, and I said I wasn’t ready to go after a belt. And I do feel that I am [ready] right now,” stated Viana. “It’s a completely different game. I feel that I’ve improved so much. I think I’ve improved standing up, I’ve improved on the ground, I’ve improved against the fence. I didn’t even want to face ranked opponents, [now] I want to face a ranked opponent. I feel that I’m ready to face top ten, top five, even top one.”

“I’ve improved a lot. It’s been great,” she added.

Viana has become known online for her cosplay efforts, and that’s something she’d like to carry over to the UFC, particularly when it comes to walkouts. The promotion, however, has been less than open to the idea.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CspGl0ooskR/

“I’ve tried so many times and I’ve actually asked to come in with a bandana. They’ve never allowed it. I wanted a cape,” she noted. “I’ve tried with like a blank bandana, I can’t. Apparently Naruto is a brand that doesn’t allow it or something like that. I’ve tried so many times, I’ve asked, they never let me do it, but if I could, I definitely would.”

Watch the full UFC Vegas 78 media day appearance by Polyana Viana above.

The post UFC Vegas 78: Improved Polyana Viana Feels Ready for Ranked Opponents, Title Picture appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I really admire her. I really like her like outside the octagon. I understand her journey. From all the stuff that she represents a Brazilian woman,” Lucindo told reporters including Cageside Press through a translator on Wednesday.

“It’s hard for us to actually make it to this stage, the greatest organization in the world, but at the end of the day I respect a lot of her history outside the octagon. She’s just another opponent. She’s got two legs, two arms, and it doesn’t matter. She’s just another opponent that I need to get through.”

All praise aside Lucindo knows she’s got a tough fight ahead of her at the UFC APEX with Viana across from her. Three rounds or a finish inside the distance it Lucindo says she has a plan for everything.

“Truthfully we actually have a strategy for this so obviously trying to get the finish is out there, but we have a plan A, a plan B and we have a plan C. I do believe that a knockout or a finish is actually a consequence of the fight, but I’m prepared for three rounds,” she said.

“No matter what happens I feel that I’m going to come out with the victory and my arm raised.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Iasmin Lucindo above. She takes on Polyana Viana at UFC Vegas 78 on Saturday night.

The post Iasmin Lucindo Praised Viana, But Sees Victory Regardless Of Where The Fight Goes appeared first on Cageside Press.

On a night that boasted nine finishes — only two fights went the distance Saturday — Neil Magny, Mario Bautista, Polyana Viana, and Tamires Vidal all picked up $50,000 Performance of the Night bonuses.

No Fight of the Night was awarded Saturday, and given the number of stoppages, that’s not entirely surprising.

Perhaps no finish at UFC Vegas 64 had a bigger impact that Neil Magny’s submission of Daniel Rodriguez. “D-Rod” is a bit of a budding star for the promotion, but veteran Magny locked up a D’Arce choke in the third round of their co-main event welterweight fight. With the win, Magny now holds the record for most wins in UFC welterweight history, at 20, surpassing Georges St. Pierre.

Newcomer Tamires Vidal shocked fans with her octagon debut victory, meanwhile. She also shocked opponent Ramona Pascual, who came in heavy for the bantamweight fight, with a flying knee to end the fight in the opening round. Strawweight Polyana Viana packed plenty of power into her petite frame, knocking out former Invicta FC atomweight champ Jinh Yu Frey.

Finally, Mario Bautista showed some slick ground skills when he pulled off a reverse triangle arm-bar against Benito Lopez.

The post Four Performance of the Night Bonuses Handed Out at UFC Vegas 64 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Polyana Viana was only 3-4 in the Octagon heading into UFC Vegas 64, but all three wins were finishes that came in the very first round. After a unanimous decision loss to Tabatha Ricci that Viana found to be less than satisfying snapped a two-fight first-round submission streak, Viana looked to get back on track against talented former Invicta FC champion Jinh Yu Frey.

Frey has had her ups and downs since joining the UFC. She lost in her first two appearances with the promotion then defeated both Gloria De Paula and Ashley Yoder in succession. A close split decision loss against Vanessa Demopoulos sent her back to the losing column.

Viana was not messing around when the bell rang. Immediately, she pushed the pace against Frey. Frey ate a hard knee to the body that stunned her and Viana took full advantage. A clean left hand rocked Frey and Viana followed up with a right that sent Frey stumbling. A lengthy combination finished the fight as the referee stepped in before Frey hit the ground. A stoppage in less than a minute was exactly what Viana was seeking after a decision loss.

THAT COMBO BY VIANA 👊 #UFCVEGAS64 pic.twitter.com/cSsB8rs9Sz

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 5, 2022

Polyana Viana def. Jinh Yu Frey by TKO (Punches) in Round 1 (0:47)

The post UFC Vegas 64: Polyana Viana Silences Jinh Yu Frey in Under 60 Seconds appeared first on Cageside Press.