UFC Championship Fights That Have Happened In Rio de Janeiro

UFC 134 was the first UFC event in Rio de Janeiro, and it was a great one. Tons of high-quality fights and finishes were capped off by a beautiful second round knockout of Yushin Okami from UFC Hall of Famer Anderson Silva. It was Silva’s first UFC victory in Brazil, and it was his ninth middleweight title defense.

UFC 142: Aldo vs Mendes

Featherweight title fight between José Aldo and Chad Mendes

Aldo’s first UFC fight in Brazil came in the main event against Chad Mendes. As the featherweight champion, Aldo wanted to make a statement and deliver in front of the Brazilian crowd. What transpired was a stunning first round knockout win for Aldo, who sprinted out of the Octagon to celebrate with the fans in attendance. It was an iconic moment for “The King of Rio.”

UFC 163: Aldo vs The Korean Zombie

Featherweight title fight between José Aldo and The Korean Zombie

Any time The Korean Zombie is in a fight you can expect it to be a battle and that’s exactly why people were so excited to see him fight Aldo. Over the course of three rounds, Aldo made sure to let The Korean Zombie lead the dance but to punish him for everything he did. In the fourth round, TKZ threw a punch, and something happened to his shoulder, prompting Aldo to pounce and get the finish. It was another masterclass from Aldo.

UFC 179: Aldo vs Mendes 2

Featherweight title fight rematch between José Aldo and Chad Mendes

When Ronda Rousey was at the top, there was no bigger star in MMA. She delivered fast and entertaining victories in most of her Octagon appearances. Against Bethe Correia, she stayed away from her excellent ground game and used her fists to punch her way to victory. “Rowdy” knocked out Correia in 35 seconds with a furious barrage of punches. It left Joe Rogan saying wow on repeat until he admitted he was speechless. Flawless victory.

UFC 212: Aldo vs Holloway

Featherweight title fight between José Aldo and Max Holloway

“The King of Rio” met his match in Brazil when he collided with Max Holloway. The fight started slow and picked up over time, but things went south for Aldo in the third. Holloway found his rhythm and dropped Aldo with a back-to-back jab/cross combo. “Blessed” followed Aldo to the canvas and kept pouring on punches for what felt like forever until the referee finally stopped the fight.

It was an incredible performance from Holloway as he became a UFC champion for the first time with the victory. A tough moment for Brazilian fans, but the moment and the night belonged to Max Holloway.

 

UFC 224: Nunes vs Pennington

Bantamweight title fight between Amanda Nunes and Raquel Pennington

Many consider Amanda Nunes to be the G.O.A.T. and for good reason. “The Lioness” dominated two divisions for most of her career and she looked at her absolute best against Raquel Pennington at UFC 224. Nunes controlled the fight from start to finish, winning wherever she took the fight and dealing significant damage to Pennington on the way to fifth round TKO win.

 

UFC 237: Namajunas vs Andrade

Strawweight title fight between Rose Namajunas and Jéssica Andrade

One of the reasons why we love the fight game is just how unpredictable things can be. In the strawweight title fight between Rose Namajunas and Jéssica Andrade one of the wildest moments in UFC championship history happened when Andrade slammed Namajunas in the second round.

The slam knocked Namajunas out, sending the Brazilian crowd into a frenzy as Andrade became the new UFC strawweight champion. It was truly stunning and etched Andrade into the history books forever.

UFC 283: Teixeira vs Hill

Flyweight title fight rematch between Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo

Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo’s fourth meeting took place in Rio, as the two flyweight champions were 1-1-1 over the course of their three-part series. Moreno entered the bout as the interim champion, and he was all business.

Moreno was sharper and was ahead of Figueiredo on the scorecards heading into the third round. He hurt Figueiredo with a great left that made the Brazilian’s eye swell and close. Following the third round, the doctor deemed that Figueiredo was unable continue, thus crowing Moreno a two-time undisputed UFC flyweight champion.

UFC 283: Teixeira vs Hill

Light heavyweight title fight between Glover Teixeira and Jamahahl Hill

The most recent title fight to happen in Rio was Glover Teixeira vs Jamahal Hill for the vacant UFC light heavyweight title.

Although the fight happened in Brazil, the night belonged to the American Hill. “Sweet Dreams” was at his best and was dominant from start to finish. Hill hurt Teixeira repeatedly but couldn’t put away the former champion, leading to a decision victory for Hill.