UFC 198 results— Best card in Brazilian MMA history?
UFC 198 has been under the radar the past couple months. With the return of Jon Jones and weekly Conor McGregor news, it was covered quietly until fight week.
Looking at the fight card, there was nothing quiet about it with the names popping up: Fabricio Werdum, Stipe Miocic, Jacare Souza, Vitor Belfort, Cris Cyborg, Demian Maia, Matt Brown, and Little Nog.
If a gallbladder injury didn’t force Anderson Silva off the card — there would’ve been Silva vs Uriah Hall on the middle of the main card.
But even without “The Spider,” there hasn’t been a card quite like this one. And it didn’t disappoint.
Werdum vs Miocic
This was an interesting matchup. The first title shot in Miocic’s career, he was taking on a much more experienced Werdum who was only the second person to beat Cain Velasquez. And Miocic was in enemy territory.
But it took just one short right hand that took out Werdum — who had been sporting his funny face before the fight — and the lights went out for the 38-year-old Brazilian.
Afterward, Miocic thanked the 45,000 people in attendance, who went silent after the KO, and he said, “I’m bringing home a championship to Cleveland.”
Jacare vs Belfort
“The Phenom” Vitor Belfort has been fighting professionally since 1996. He was in the UFC before the Fertitta’s and Dana White were remotely interested in the UFC. Twenty years later and he’s still here, but it may be time for him to call it a career.
Jacare, only three years Belfort’s junior, lived up to his “Alligator” nickname, and mauled Belfort in the first round with pressure and takedowns until he was able to mount him and rain down a flurry of strikes until the referee came in to stop the fight in the first round.
In his post fight interview, Jacare called for a title shot and said he would bring the middleweight championship to Brazil.
Cyborg vs Smith
The much anticipated debut of Cyborg went as planned — she scored a first round TKO over a very game Leslie Smith fighting out of Cesar Gracie’s camp in Northern California.
Smith said before the fight, “I’m going to be known as the first woman who destroyed Cyborg,” but that’s not how the fight played out. After trading with Cyborg, Smith was caught by a right hand that dropped her, and Cyborg was on top of her landing more strikes until the ref came in to stop the fight.
Cyborg has no plans to cut down to 135 and said she’ll defend her Invicta FC featherweight title, and only go to the UFC for catchweight bouts at 140.
Shogun vs Anderson
Shogun Rua started his professional career fighting in Curitiba, Brazil in 2002. Fourteen years later, he received another win in the city, a split-decision over Corey Anderson, in a fight that Shogun showed signs of his old self.
Shogun put Anderson down at the end of the first and second rounds until Anderson took the third by wrestling Shogun down to the ground.
A good win over the younger Anderson who had only been finished by Gian Villante.
(This would be a good way for Shogun to end his career, but with a win unlikely for the 34-year-old Brazilian.)
Maia vs Brown
Even though Demian Maia and Matt Brown were on the undercard — albeit was the last fight — this could’ve been a co-main event billing on the Pay-Per-View side.
For those jiu-jitsu purists, this was a mastery by Maia who was able to take Brown down and keep him defending for almost the full three rounds until he was able to lock in a rear naked choke with less than a minute to go.
In a wide open welterweight division, Maia thought the win would be able to propel him to a title shot, but with UFC President Dana White not in Brazil for the fights, that decision will have to wait.
A great and memorable night of fights Curitiba, with the Brazilian fans passionate for their countrymen (and women), in what was the best mixed martial arts card in Brazilian history up to date.
