P. Borrachinha (right) retired L. Rockhold (left) a UFC 278. Photo: Playback / Instagram
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The fight was more difficult than expected, the ‘war’ was dramatic, but it ended well for Paolo Borrachinha. The Brazilian made a tense duel marked by twists in the Octagon, he won once again in UFC 278 this Saturday (20) and the former champion retired Luca Rockhold. The match was decided on points and valid for the middleweight division (up to 83.9 kg.).
With that, Borrachinha relieves her situation in the last fight of the contract in the organization. The Minas Gerais player wins again after three years and now has 14 positive and two negative results.
Rockhold, who returned after three years, found the “bitter taste” of his third defeat in the series. The former champion took off his gloves and announced his retirement. He leaves the sport with a record of 16 triumphs and six career setbacks.
Fight
Paolo Borrachinha started dominating the center of the cage, while Rockhold invested in low kicks. Paulo defended Luke’s elimination and applied “bombs”, which were defended by the American. The Brazilian followed aggressively, applied a straight left and lowered it, quickly entering the frame, where he delivered good shots.
Rockhold, however, exploded from the awkward position. On his feet, the American managed to deliver four kicks to the waistline followed by a round kick, which was defended by Borrachinha. In the final stretch, however, the Brazilian tried a takedown and saw the American make a save.
Wanting to do all or nothing and already tired, Luke applied a straight match and rocked Paulo, as well as attempting a takedown. The Brazilian made the defense, returned with the fight on his feet and the fight continued to strike. Rockhold, despite being cornered in the fence, has returned to the feature and developed his strong kicking game. Borrachinha, therefore, continued to be aggressive and applied an illegal punch to the opponent’s genitals. He left in celebration, but was warned by the referee.
The dramatic duel had another moment of ‘scare’ for the Brazilian. Borrachinha felt a shot from the right but acted promptly to get up. He continued to rise, throwing good punches and, when Rockhold seemed “out of the fight”, fighting back dangerously. The American was still looking for a takedown, but saw the miner reverse the situation to reach the rear, where he continued to throw punches. With 30 seconds, Luke managed to reverse the situation and rubbed his blood on Paulo’s face.
UFC 278 results
MAIN PAPER
Welterweight (up to 77 kg.): Kamaru Usman X Leon Edwards – Fight for the belt
Average weight (up to 83.9 kg.): Paolo Borrachinha beaten Luca Rockhold in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Bantamweight (up to 61.2 kg.): Merab Dvalishivili defeated Giuseppe Aldo in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Rooster weight (up to 61.2 kg.): Lucia Pudilova beaten Wu Yanan by TKO (elbows) at 4:04 of R2
Light maximum weights (up to 93 kg.): Tyson Pedro beaten Harry Hunsucker for TKO (punches) at 1m05 of R1
PRELIMINATE PAPER
High weight (up to 120.2 kg.): Marcin Tybura beaten Aleksandr Romanov in the majority decision of the judges (29-28, 28-29, 28-28)
Light weight (up to 70.3 kg): Jared Gordon beaten Leo Santos in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Featherweight (up to 65.7 kg): Sean Woodson and Luís Saldaña draw (29-27, 27-29, 28-28)
Welterweight (up to 77 kg.): Angé Loosa beaten AJ Fletcher in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Fly weight (up to 56.7 kg): Emir Albazi beaten Francisco Figueiredo for submission (bare back choke) at 4m31s
Rooster weight (up to 61.2 kg.): Aori Qileng beaten Jay Perrin in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Fly weight (up to 56.7 kg): Vittorio Altamirano beaten Daniele Tagliatelle for TKO (punches) at 3:39 of R1
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