Jamahal Hill and Brand Moreno defeated home favourites Glover Teixeira and Deiveson Figueiredo respectively in the title fights at UFC 283, held at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday morning.
In the main event, Hill put up a masterful display of striking to overcome Teixeira, using his jab and left head-kicks to control the distance, while mixing in some brutal strikes and knees. The American took the fight with a dominant 50-44 50-44 50-44 triumph on the score cards, and in truth there were moments through rounds three and four when either the referee or Teixeira’s own corner should have stopped the fight.
“Anything’s possible... hard work, dedication, accountability, don’t let nobody tell you nothing,” said Hill in his post-fight interview. “Too many people tried to tell me I couldn’t do it, it was impossible, I needed to win in one round, I couldn’t go five... what the f*** you gotta say now!”
Teixeira, 43, who showed incredible resilience to make it the full five rounds, announced his retirement after the fight and will be remembered as a classy former champion – with a place in the UFC hall of fame surely in his future.
The co-main event brought a TKO win for Moreno over home favourite Figueiredo in their flyweight championship showdown. The Mexican dominated the fight and late in the third round landed the key blow: a left hook that landed on Figueiredo’s right eye. The fighters clinched up and went to the ground for what remained of the round, with the Brazilian having initially protested as if he was caught by an eye poke. Figueiredo was then examined by a doctor, who waved the fight off as the athlete’s eye was completely closed up – handing Moreno a deserved victory.
“It was Brandon’s night,” Figueiredo said in his post-fight interview. “I’ve done a light, I fight for everyone who has a dream to be here, but I’m tired of making this weight [flyweight], that’s why I’m moving up [to bantamweight].”
The rest of the main card featured a trio of Brazilian wins, with Gilbert Burns submitting Neil Magny in the first round of their welterweight clash; Jessica Andrade dominated Lauren Murphy in a women’s flyweight bout; and Johnny Walker made quick work of Paul Craig in a light heavyweight opener.
The next UFC event is a Fight Night at the APEX Facility in Las Vegas on the morning of Sunday 5 February, headlined by a heavyweight bout between Derrick Lewis and Sergey Spivak.
UFC 283 – MAIN CARD RESULTS
- Main event: Vacant light heavyweight championship: Jamahal Hill def. Glover Teixeira via unanimous decision (50-44 50-44 50-44), R5, 5:00
- Co-main: Flyweight championship: Brandon Moreno def. Deiveson Figueiredo via TKO (doctor stoppage), R3, 5:00
- Welterweight: Gilbert Burns def. Neil Magny via submission (arm triangle choke), R1, 4:15
- Women’s flyweight: Jessica Andrade def. Lauren Murphy via unanimous decision (30-25 30-25 30-26), R3, 5:00
- Light heavyweight: Johnny Walker def. Paul Craig via TKO (punches), R1, 2:16