UFC Fortaleza main card results: Maia, Oliveira score submissions; Walker TKOs Ledet in 15 seconds

The UFC Fortaleza main card is in progress and here are all the best bits in one conveniently packaged article.

Demian Maia still has it. The Brazilian legend bounced back from three consecutive losses to the welterweight elite with a first-round submission over a game Lyman Good.

Charles Oliveira and David Teymur fought to prove they belong among the 155-pound elite. Oliveira went a step beyond that. Oliveira churns out more submissions than a Middle Ages farmer churns butter, but the man also has plenty of creative striking. The fight with Teymur was a showcase of the Brazilian’s elbows and knees against a fighter who was supposed to have better striking.

Johnny Walker continues to establish himself as a breakout light-heavyweight star in 2019 thanks to his skills inside and outside the octagon. A natural on the mic and a killer in the cage with dance moves for days, Walker just about walked through Justin Ledet at UFC Fortaleza. Good thing he whiffed on that soccer kick to a grounded opponent.

Main Card:

Demian Maia def. Lyman Good by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:38 of round 1: welterweight

Demian Maia immediately backs Lyman Good up to the fence. Not good. It was only a matter of time — as Michael Bisping predicted — before Maia shot for a takedown. And a takedown he got. Maia controlled Good’s legs for a short while before Good managed to get back to his feet. The Brazilian legend followed his opponent and snatched the back. Maia rode Good’s back from a standing position and tried to sink in a rear-naked choke. Good managed to squirm his way out of the choke for a couple of minutes before eventually succumbing to the more experienced fighters.

It was an important victory for Maia who was coming off of back-to-back-to-back decision losses to arguably the current three best welterweights on Earth: Tyron Woodley, Colby Covington, and Kamaru Usman.

Charles Oliveira def. David Teymur by submission (anaconda choke) at 0:55 of round 2: Lightweight

A very compelling match-up between one of MMA’s biggest submission threats in Oliveira and one of lightweight’s most promising all-around strikers in Teymur. Oliveira has only lost to the best. Is Teymur the best? Teymur with the double-doosy, he poked Oliveira in both of his eyes simultaneously. The referee took a point for that, no warning, after an extended break from Oliveira. The Brazilian looked like Tigger out there, constantly leaping with kicks and knees. Teymur dropped Oliveira with a a straight left. The submission machine looked for an armbar but Teymur was privy. Oliveira with a huge jumping knee but Teymur eats it like candy. Body shots from both fighters wrapped up the first round.

Round two underway and a fancy step-in elbow by Oliveira had Teymur rocked. An uppercut forced Teymur to turn his back to Oliveira against the fence for several seconds. Oliveira bombarded his opponent with strikes. The referee was close to stopping the fight but Teymur turned back just in time. Unfortunately for him, he fell right into a grappling exchange. Oliveira wrapped the neck and the arm and dragged Teymur to the floor like an alligator clamping down on his prey. What followed, appropriately, was a gator roll into an anaconda choke and that is all she wrote. Oliveira by submission.

Johnny Walker def. Justin Ledet by TKO at 0:15 of round 1: Light-heavyweight

Fun fact, Ledet sees his trip to Brazil as a way to spread the “truth” about Flat Earth. Is this troll, who knows? Now onto the fight: Ledet opened things up with a crisp jab feint. He threw a hook kick that clipped his opponent and followed it up with a destructive spinning back fist. Walker rushed forward with a soccer kick to a grounded opponent! Who knows what he was thinking. Fortunately for him, replay footage showed the kick either just grazed Ledet or missed entirely. Walked landed a few big ground-and-pound punches to wrap things up. I do not know about Flat Earth, but Ledet is definitely flat against the Earth right now. Walker celebrated his win with the single most impressive Worm I’ve ever seen an MMA fighter perform.

Livia Renata Souza def. Sarah Frota via split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29): Women’s Flyweight (catchweight)

Souza landed an early take down on Frota, who hit the scales seven-pounds overweight. Souza immediately fell into a reverse triangle. Souza worked her way out and wrapped up the neck for a guillotine, but Frota was able to wiggle her head out. Souza threw up an armbar from the guard but Frota was privy to it. Souza later managed to snatch the arm but Frota circled around and rescued her limb. Souza ended round one with a little ground-and-pound.

Round two started off very well for Frota, who caught Souza with a big punch. She was taken down shortly after and worked on her rubber guard. Frota tried for her own armbar halfway through the second round but found little success. Same can be said for her work towards a kneebar. Both throw heavy leather on the feet before Souza scores another brief takedown. You can hear the weight behind Frota’s punches. Souza almost sinks in a rear-naked choke but Frota fights it off just as round two comes to a close. Frota’s hands continued to do work in the final round, disrupting Souza’s balance on multiple occasions. The fight concludes with a high 10, a big hug, and words of encouragement from both fighters.