Gabriel Marretinha showed that he is on a different level and deserves to be seen as a real threat to the top welterweights (up to 77,1 kg). In the main fight of UFC Vegas 118 , held this Saturday (6), the Brazilian simply did what he wanted with former champion Belal Muhammad . At the end of the 25 minutes of action, the athlete came out on top by unanimous decision, winning all five rounds.
It's worth highlighting that this was the biggest victory of Marretinha's career, who is experiencing a magical moment in the UFC. The Brazilian is riding a five-fight winning streak. With the show he put on in the octagon against the former champion, the athlete, currently ranked 11th in the category, will move up to fifth place, changing his ranking level.
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Absolute dominance
Marretinha started the fight on the offensive, throwing jabs and kicks at Belal. Cornered, Belal didn't shy away from the exchange and landed a powerful straight punch on Marretinha, startling him. In another exchange of blows, Belal posed a threat to Marretinha. Recovering from the scare, Marretinha landed a powerful low kick on Belal. Then, Marretinha landed a jab on Belal, who responded with a straight punch. In the final stretch of the round, the fighters went on the offensive and exchanged powerful punches and kicks.
In the second round, Marretinha came back sharp and landed punches and kicks on Belal. In turn, Belal also landed some good punches on Marretinha. Focused, Marretinha continued to distribute jabs and low kicks on Belal. Belal, on the other hand, relied on jabs and crosses. Even with difficulty, Belal tried to attack Marretinha, but was hit more often by him. Bigger and faster, Marretinha had the advantage in the exchanges of blows and made Belal bleed.
In the third round, Belal sought a grappling fight, but Marretinha prevented the attack. In the striking exchanges, Marretinha startled Belal with a straight punch. Confident, Marretinha began laughing at Belal. Marretinha continued to hurt Belal's legs with his kicks. Then, Belal also landed kicks on Marretinha. Sharp as ever, Marretinha landed a beautiful straight punch that made Belal lose his mouthguard. Again, Marretinha, feeling superior in action, laughed at Belal. In the exchanges of blows, Marretinha continued to punish Belal and rocked him again with straight punches.
In the fourth round, Marretinha continued to pressure Belal with jabs and low kicks. A warrior, Belal responded as best he could with crosses and kicks, but it didn't faze Marretinha. Calm in the fight, Marretinha continued to land jabs and kicks on Belal. After landing clean straight punches to Belal's face, Marretinha smiled.
In the fifth and final round, Marretinha remained in control and landed a beautiful straight punch to Belal's face. Belal responded with a high kick that exploded against Marretinha's guard. Going on the offensive in search of a knockout, Belal opened himself up and ended up taking more hits from Marretinha. Undeterred, Belal posed a threat with a cross to Marretinha. In turn, Marretinha frustrated Belal's advances with his jabs and kicks.
Marretinha defeated Belal in the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Check out the results of UFC Vegas 118
MAIN CARD
Welterweight (up to 77,1 kg): Gabriel Marretinha defeated Belal Muhammad by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
Middleweight (up to 82,9 kg): Brendan Allen defeated Edmen Shahbazyan by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Lightweight (up to 70,3 kg): Tom Nolan defeated Fares Ziam by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Bantamweight (up to 61,2 kg): Bryce Mitchell defeated Santiago Luna by submission (katagatame) at 4:52 of round 3.
Light heavyweight (up to 92,9 kg): Iwo Baraniewski defeated Junior Tafa by knockout (punches) at 1:25 of round 1.
PRELIMINARY CARD
Catchweight (up to 58,9 kg): Alessandro Costa defeated Matt Schnell by knockout (punches) at 2:32 of round 1.
Bantamweight (up to 61,2 kg): Marcus McGhee defeated John Yannis by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Flyweight (up to 56,7 kg): Edgar Chairez defeated Bruno Silva by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:13 of round 1.
Bantamweight (up to 61,2 kg): Chelsea Chandler defeated Priscila Cachoeira by submission (armbar) at 3:42 of round 1.
Featherweight (up to 65,7 kg): Joanderson Tubarão defeated Jordan Leavitt by submission (arm-triangle choke) at 4:19 of round 1.
Flyweight (up to 56,7 kg): Jeisla Chaves defeated Yuneisy Duben by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Strawweight (up to 52,1 kg): Ketlen Souza defeated Ariane Sorriso by knockout (kick) at 1:32 of round 1.
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