Vinicius Oliveira knocked out Bernardo Sopai in the UFC Las Vegas 87 (Photo: Instagram/UFC Canada)
It was painful, but it was brutal. In a duel between newcomers on the preliminary card, valid for bantamweight (up to 61,2 kg), Vinicius Oliveira showed his Ultimate calling card with a spectacular knockout over Bernardo Sopai in the third round. After a difficult start to the fight, the Brazilian turned things around and secured the victory with a sensational flying knee in the final stretch of the last round.
Hired through the last season of the Contender Series, Vinicius 'LokDog' Oliveira debuted with victory in the UFC and now has 20 wins and just three losses as a professional.
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Also debuting in Ultimate, Bernardo Sopai sees a streak of three victories come to an end and now has 11 triumphs and three setbacks in his career.
Vinicius Oliveira suffers at the beginning, but secures victory with a brutal knockout in the final stretch
Vinicius Oliveira and Bernardo Sopai started the fight by exchanging kicks in the open. Sopai came in with an overhand and Vinicius counterattacked with a cross, but neither of them connected. The Albanian kicked low and the Brazilian responded with a medium kick, but his leg was caught and he received a direct hit. Vinicius released the spinning kick, but missed from distance. Sopai took advantage, stuck and took the Brazilian down, landing in his guard. Vinicius climbed the guard and tried a triangle, Bernardo escaped, but the Brazilian managed to stay on his feet. Sopai left a high kick and Vinicius responded with a direct one. Bernardo Sopai fell once again, took the fight to the ground and fell mounted, but Vinicius quickly regained his guard. In the last seconds, the Albanian managed to posture himself and left a hard blow on the Brazilian.
At the beginning of the second round, Vinicius Oliveira went down, but Sopai defended and managed to use the Brazilian's strength to take the fight to the ground in an advantageous position. In mount, the Albanian worked ground and pound and the Brazilian gave up his back. Sopai left some right jabs as he tried to open up space for a submission. Vinicius managed to free himself from Sopai's grip and get on top. The Albanian got up, but Vinicius remained trapped and took him down again. The Brazilian worked his ground and pound well with punches and elbows from top to bottom. Sopai got up again, but Vinicius connected with a precise high kick. In the final stretch, the Brazilian unleashed another good sequence of punches and shook the Albanian, who, showing exhaustion, was saved by the bell.
At the beginning of the third round, Vinicius started working hard on his kicks, both low and high. Cornering Sopai, the Brazilian connected two clean rights to the Albanian's face. Vinicius continued to put pressure on Sopai and threaten with powerful straight shots and crosses. The gaucho kicked low and worked crosses with both hands. Bernardo Sopai tried to close the distance, but, tired, he received a direct hit. Vinicius kicked low once again, Sopai felt it and the Brazilian took advantage to connect a flying knee of rare precision to the tip of the Albanian's chin, who fell knocked out.
Aiemann Zahabi 'breaks the bank' and ends Javid Basharat's unbeaten run
Aiemann Zahabi derrotou Javid Basharat No. UFC Las Vegas 87 (Photo: Twitter/UFC News)
Considered one of the biggest underdogs in the UFC Las Vegas 87 in betting houses, Aiemann Zahabi 'broke the bank' and ended the invincibility of Javid Basharat in the career. The Canadian's victory came via unanimous decision from the judges (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after 15 minutes of great balance in the octagon.
After a complicated start in Ultimate, Aiemann Zahabi turned things around and recorded the organization's fourth consecutive victory. On the other side, Javid Basharat experiences the first defeat of his career.
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