LAS VEGAS -- Former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo got UFC 300 off to a rollicking start with an impressive submission victory Saturday over ex-bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt at 4:02 of the second round. After Figueireo had been working on an arm triangle for quite a period of time, Garbrandt escaped it and climbed to his knee.
Garbrandt immediately took his back and cinched in the rear naked choke. Garbrandt fought it briefly before tapping at 4:02 of the second round.
The crowd was into the fight from the start and roared loudly when Garbrandt made his walk to the ring. Crowds in Las Vegas are notorious for arriving late, and while T-Mobile Arena wasn't full at the opening bell, there were people in the upper deck and it looked to be more than half full.
It looked for a while they'd get to see a classic Garbrandt performance. Garbrandt kept the fight standing in the first, and did a good job of attacking Figueiredo's lead leg. Figueiredo wasn't able to get a lot of offense going in the first.
The story changed in the second round almost immediately. Figueiredo caught Garbrandt near the fence and took him down. The remainder of the round was with Figueiredo on top of Garbrandt working for a submission.
He had an arm triangle in for a while that seemed close, but Garbrandt managed to survive that. But when Garbrandt got to a knee, Figueiredo capitalized almost immediately.
Bobby Green's hands are impressive in battering Jim Miller
Jim Miller is the UFC's all-time wins leader, and he'd fought previously at UFC 100 and UFC 200. But veteran Bobby Green's fast hands and accurate punches made certain the veteran Miller didn't post a fairytale victory on Saturday.
Green won by scores of 30-27, 30-25 and 29-26 in an impressive performance that left the veteran submission ace with blood streaming down his face and his eyes nearly swollen shut. Miller's best work came in the first, in the early stages of the round, when he dropped Green with a left hand. He later hurt Green with another left, but that was about all he had.
He was following Green around the Octagon and getting battered as a result. Green fought with his hands at his side, but was tremendously accurate and landing with force. Green's quickness was apparent as he overwhelmed Miller, particularly in the final two rounds.
After the bout, Green called out Paddy Pimblett.
Jessica Andrade pulls out split decision over Marina Rodriguez
The strawweight bout between Jessica Andrade and Marina Rodriguez was essentially a kickboxing match, which should have favored the taller, rangier Rodriguez. But Andrade, a former champion, managed to close the distance often enough to get inside and hurt Rodriguez. That was the difference in a close fight that was a split decision win for Andrade.
Judges had it 29-28 twice for Andrade and 29-28 for Rodriguez. KevinIole.com had it 29-28 for Andrade, giving her the first two rounds.
Rodriguez was having a strong second round and with a minute left, appeared on the way toward winning it and evening the score. But Andrade slipped a jab and landed a hard left that hurt Rodriguez. She wobbled back into the cage and was hurt at the bell, but survived.
Rodriguez's corner got on her big-time between the second and third rounds, urging her on, but it wasn't enough and Andrade held on for the win.
Renato Moicano is money in second-round stoppage of Jalin Turner
Renato Moicano controlled most of the first round in his bout with Jalin Turner, but he was nearly finished late in the round when Turner cracked him with a right. Turner thought he'd scored a one-punch KO and raised his arms in celebration. That might have cost him the fight, because Moicano staggered back to the cage and then the bell sounded.
Turner had time to go after Moicano and finish the job, but he didn't and that allowed the fight to see a second round.
He took Turner down again and wasn't doing much with it other than controlling Turner. The crowd got restless and that apparently spurred Moicano into action. He maneuvered into mount and began dropping big elbows and then hammer fists on Turner. Referee Herb Dean jumped in to stop it at 4:11 of the second.
The victory was his third consecutive win and his fifth in his last six outings.