Brazilian featherweight contender Renato Moicano spoiled the Southern California homecoming of Cub Swanson, defeating the veteran star via first-round submission in a UFC 227 bout at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.
Both fighters had their moments in the early going, but with a little over two minutes remaining, a left hand dropped Swanson. A furious assault followed, but Swanson got back to his feet. Moicano was unstoppable, though, and he put the Palm Springs native back on the mat and landed in the mount. A rear naked choke followed, with Swanson forced to tap out at the 4:15 mark of the first round.
With the win, the No. 10-ranked Moicano improves to 13-1-1. The No. 5-ranked Swanson falls to 25-10.
ALDRICH vs VIANA
JJ Aldrich won her showdown of strawweight up and comers with Polyana Viana, taking a three-round unanimous decision.
Scores were 29-28 twice and 29-27 for Colorado’s Aldrich, now 7-2. Para’s Viana falls to 10-2.
Aldrich was patient throughout the fight, which started slow for both combatants. But by the final frame, the former Ultimate Fighter standout began imposing her will on the feet, landing more and more shots as Viana slowed down and was unable to do anything with her ground game.
Middleweight contender Thiago Santos rebounded from a knockout loss to David Branch, getting back in the win column with a hard-fought three-round unanimous decision over debuting Kevin Holland.
Santos was looking for the finish from the start, but his aggressiveness almost cost him when Holland attempted a couple submissions on the mat. When Santos got loose, he unleashed bombs with both hands, and while Holland was able to elude most of them, enough got through to make an impression. With 40 seconds left, Holland got back to his feet, but Santos kept the heat on until the horn sounded.
Santos controlled much of the second round, but late in the frame, Holland roared back into the fight, stunning the Brazilian with strikes before getting the fight to the mat, where the Texan worked his ground game effectively, sending the bout to a third round.
The final frame was a good rebound round for Santos as he controlled the action on the mat, and though Holland would lose the bout via scores of 29-27 twice and 29-26, the ultra-game Texan certainly made a positive impression in his first Octagon bout.
With the win, the No. 13-ranked Santos moves to 18-6. Holland falls to 13-4.
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