Charles Oliveira denied Justin Gaethje from claiming his vacated UFC lightweight championship, winning via submission in the first round at UFC 274 on Saturday.
Oliveira was stripped of the lightweight belt he held after missing weight, meaning only Gaethje could win the title on Saturday.
After a furious opening exchange, the 32-year-old secured an 11th consecutive victory, reaffirming his status as the most dominant fighter in the division.
Extending the UFC record for the most submission wins (16) and most finishes (19), the Brazilian made his status in the division clear despite the vacated title.
"There's something missing here. The champ has a name and his name is Charles Oliveira," he said post-fight.
"This is a message to the entire division. I'm a problem for the entire division, look at my team.
"Dana White, I don't care who you put in front of me. I will take them all on."
Gaethje came out the blocks quickly and landed some big shots but critically allowed his opponent to stand back up after he was knocked down.
Given that breathing room, Oliveira recovered immediately, planting a right-hand to get Gaethje down on the ground and then showed composure, not seeking ground-and-pound but a submission.
Gaethje gave up his back after wriggling out of an initial attempt at a triangle, and Oliveira took advantage from there with a rear-naked choke.
Esparza wins as Chandler makes vicious KO
In the co-main event, Carla Esparza claimed victory over Rose Namajunas in a controversial 47-48 49-46 48-47 split decision, to claim the UFC women's strawweight championship.
In what was a very tepid bout, Namajunas effectively left her fate and belt in the hands of the judges, allowing Esparza to make sporadic forays and takedowns.
It was very different to the other lightweight bout of the night, where Michael Chandler scored a breathtaking knockout win over Tony Ferguson in the second round.
After an exciting first round, Chandler ended the fight early with an explosive front kick, catching Ferguson on the chin.
Jamaica’s Jason Jackson hands Yaroslav Amosov first loss to become Bellator Welterweight Champion
Jamaican Jason Jackson produced one of the most surprising Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) outcomes of the year, dethroning the previously undefeated Yaroslav Amosov to become the new Bellator welterweight champion at Bellator 301 at the WinTrust Arena in Chicago on Friday.
Jackson, nicknamed “The Ass-Kicking Machine,” made Amosov uncomfortable from the outset, applying constant pressure and defending Amosov’s takedowns brilliantly.
In the third round, Jackson dropped Amosov with a straight right hand and then put the pedal down, finally ending the bout with a nasty short uppercut as Amosov tried for a desperation takedown.
Jackson moves to 17-4 and is the seventh fighter to hold the Bellator welterweight title, while the loss was the first of Amosov’s career, moving him to 27-1 overall.
Jackson was born in Spanish Town, Jamaica on October 30, 1990. At the age of 12 he moved to South Florida, graduating from Miramar High School, where he competed on the school’s wrestling team. He began training for mixed martial arts at the age of 19.
Tom Aspinall beats Sergei Pavlovich to become UFC interim heavyweight champion
British fighter Tom Aspinall needed little over a minute to become the UFC interim heavyweight champion, despite having just two weeks to get ready for his bout with Sergei Pavlovich.
The 30-year-old knocked out his Russian opponent in just 69 seconds with a punishing series of blows at UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden.
Aspinall, who becomes just the third Briton to become UFC world champion, only got the call-up for the fight on October 25 after defending champion Jon Jones suffered a serious injury and pulled out of his contest against Stipe Miocic.
The Salford fighter said on TNT Sports: “It has been a crazy two and a half weeks.
“I want to tell everyone at home, If you ever get the chance to do something and you’re scared to do it, you should just do it.
“He’s a scary guy. I’ve never been so scared in my life but I have power too and I believed in myself.
“I’ve worked so hard over the years and no one has worked harder than my father so this belt is dedicated to him.
“I was struggling with the distance a little bit but we got there in the end.”
De La Hoya promises to quit boxing if Ngannou beats Fury
Tyson Fury has no chance of losing to Francis Ngannou in the pair's exhibition fight this weekend.
That is according to former boxer turned promoter Oscar De La Hoya, who promised to quit his job if Ngannou pulls off a shock victory.
MMA fighter Ngannou, who has won 17 of his 20 professional fights, is making the move into boxing to face WBC heavyweight champion Fury in a lucrative exhibition bout in Saudi Arabia.
De La Hoya, though, is giving Ngannou little hope.
"As a boxing expert, as a fight expert, as a promoter now and as a boxing historian, if Ngannou beats Tyson Fury then I'll quit my job," De La Hoya told Stats Perform.
"And I love boxing, so I don't plan on quitting!
"I think Tyson, inside a boxing ring, he's been in there with [Wladimir] Klitschko, he's been in there with [Deontay] Wilder, there's nothing that Ngannou can do to even make Tyson flinch. It's not going to be a good night for Ngannou."
Hall of Fame fighter De La Hoya is promoting Ryan Garcia, with whom he has had something of a complicated relationship.
Garcia is going up against Oscar Duarte, and like his promoter, he does not see Ngannou having a chance against Fury, hitting out at the "crossover" fight.
"I'm sorry, I don't want to be disrespectful, but I don't see any reality where Ngannou wins," Garcia told Stats Perform.
"There's just no way. I'm a big fan of Fury and I think he's just an unbelievable fighter. He's beaten the best in boxing.
"I'm not going to think that a UFC guy is going to come in and beat him. It's just fun for the fans, man.
"It's like these crossover TV shows where you get to watch your favourite cartoon being in another cartoon. That's all."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
