In front of a raucous crowd in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Max Holloway proved that he is the best featherweight in the world after scoring a stunning third-round TKO over Jose Aldo at UFC 212.
Holloway had won 10 straight fights going into the event, but he was stepping into enemy territory by facing Aldo on his home soil as he looked to unify the titles at 145 pounds.
The 25-year-old Hawaiian didn't show an ounce of fear while exchanging shots with Aldo through the first two rounds before dropping him with a devastating combination in the third round. Holloway followed up on the knockdown by pounding away at Aldo on the ground until referee John McCarthy saw enough and called a stop to the contest.
Holloway got the win over Aldo in one of the most highly anticipated bouts of the year and it was also one of the most closely contested according to fantasy players. As it turns out, the fight had fantasy players deadlocked at exactly 50 percent for each fighter, but it was Holloway who came through with the victory in the end while also earning an additional 150 points thanks to the title being on the line.
In the co-main event, Claudia Gadelha looked better than ever as she made short work of former title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz with a first-round rear naked choke submission. Gadelha was selected by 65 percent of fantasy players, so she came through as the favorite although an overwhelming majority – 74 percent - had picked her to win by decision.
UFC legend Vitor Belfort fought off retirement with a unanimous decision win against Nate Marquardt on Saturday night after 65 percent of players picked him to get the job done in his native Brazil.
The final two fights on the main card both ended in upsets after Paulo Borrachinha earned a TKO victory against Oluwale Bamgbose after only 46 percent of players selected him going into UFC 212. Meanwhile, Yancy Medeiros picked up an impressive finish against Erick Silva, with just 41 percent of players selecting him in the kickoff fight on the Pay-Per-View broadcast.
No. 3-ranked bantamweight Raphael Assuncao added an impressive win to his resume by defeating highly touted newcomer Marlon Moraes on Saturday night. While the odds makers instilled Moraes as the favorite, fantasy players disagreed, and 64 percent had picked Assuncao going into the night. Assuncao also earned an additional 120 points due to the tight matchup on the card.
Antonio Carlos Junior enjoyed heavy odds in his favor, with 78 percent of players picking him to defeat Eric Spicely at UFC 212, and he came through with a second-round submission to earn the victory.
Much like the main card, the prelims ended with two upsets, including one of the most lopsided picks in history when newcomer Brian Kelleher submitted Iuri Alcantara in the first round with a guillotine choke in his UFC debut. Kelleher took the fight on short notice so it was understandable why he was such an underdog with only eight percent of fantasy players picking him on the card, but he proved his worth with the slick submission finish.
Meanwhile, Matthew Lopez also put on an impressive showing with a TKO victory against Johnny Eduardo with just 39 percent of fantasy players picking him at UFC 212.
On the early part of the preliminary card, Viviane Pereira kept her winning streak alive with a three-round decision against former Ultimate Fighter competitor Jamie Moyle. Pereira was selected by 67 percent of fantasy players, with a whopping 86 percent picking her by decision.
Luan Chagas also kept the favorites rolling with a victory against Jim Wallhead after 65 percent of fantasy players selected him to win.
All told, UFC 212 ended with six favorites winning and five underdogs pulling off upsets according to the selections made by fantasy players, with the main event between Aldo and Holloway ending in a dead-even split before the fights began.
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