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TORONTO – UFC 231 is taking place Saturday at Scotiabank Arena, with a main card on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass. Below is a recap of the four bouts that comprised the early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.
Dhiego Lima (13-7 MMA, 2-5 UFC) needed just 97 seconds to put Chad Laprise (13-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) away with a devastating one-hitter quitter. Laprise opened the fight by walking Lima down and looking to connect with heavy strikes. Lima stayed composed, though, and waited for the perfect moment to launch a left hook that landed flush on the chin.
WALK OFF!
On the button, @DhLimaMMA! #UFC231 pic.twitter.com/xc8kyNePbt
— UFC (@ufc) December 9, 2018
Laprise went down in a heap and Lima didn’t bother with follow-up strikes, walking away with a UFC victory for the first time since November 2014.
“I thought the fight went exactly to plan,” Lima said. “My coaches told me to just believe in my hands and believe in the power they hold, so it’s beautiful to get the first-round knockout tonight. A lot of people doubt me. They only remember the struggles I had, so going out there and doing something like that is an amazing feeling.”
Aleksander Rakic (11-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) opened UFC 231 with a brutal first-round TKO of Devin Clark (9-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC), who come out of the gate firing and had Rakic in early trouble. Rakic managed to overcome that – as well as a series of illegal knees – and landed a left backfist that hurt and dropped Clark.
From there, Rakic followed up with a flurry of devastating shots that put Clark out cold. Rakic extended his winning streak to 12 fights with the performance and called for a name opponent post-fight.
“The tide has TURNED!”
Aleksandar Rakic defies adversity with a FIRST round finish! #UFC231 pic.twitter.com/AbzIp2Jvk3
— UFC (@ufc) December 8, 2018
“I had been predicting a second-round knockout after I wore him down a bit. I thought I would catch him with an uppercut. However, it’s never a bad thing to end the fight in the first, so I am very happy,” Rakic said. “I am undefeated in the UFC and have won 10 straight fights. I think I am one of the best in the world, and I proved that tonight. I hope for a top-15 opponent when I return to the octagon, but I understand that this sport is all about climbing, so I will be ready to face whoever the UFC thinks should be next for me.”
Brad Katona (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) seemingly choked out Matthew Lopez (10-4 MMA, 2-4 UFC) in the closing seconds of their bantamweight fight, however, he didn’t get the stoppage victory – but he still got a win.
After a competitive fight over the course of three rounds, Katona got on Lopez’s back during a scramble and locked in a rear-naked choke from a unique angle. Once the horn sounded to signal the end of the end of the fight, Lopez was clearly in a daze. The fight ultimately went to the judges, though, and the SBG Ireland product and Season 27 winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” got the nod by scores of 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.
“There is only one word to describe how I’m feeling: amazing. To be back here in Canada fighting for the Canadian fans and giving them our first victory of the night is a very special thing,” Katona said. “We knew that Matthew is a very tough guy, and he’s known for having power, but I felt like I could handle whatever he came with as long as I stayed smart. I was able to control the pace of the fight, and it felt really good knowing that I was the faster guy. I think that made a big difference.”
Diego Ferreira (14-2 MMA 5-2 UFC) had to be careful early against Kyle Nelson (12-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC), who accepted the lightweight fight on just three days’ notice. But once Nelson got over his initial offensive burst, he couldn’t resist the pressure of Ferreira, who took over with takedowns.
Ferreira grounded Nelson early in the second round then got into a dominant position where he unleashed punches until the referee was forced to call it off at the 1:23 mark of Round 2.
“This was an interesting experience,” Ferreira said. “We changed opponents like, three times so we just had to stay sharp and find a way for me to implement my game plan. (Nelson) is a tough guy and came prepared, so he caught me with a body shot and had a good first round, but I knew that my preparation would come into play as the fight went on, and that’s what I did.”
UFC 231 Fight Pass prelims results included:
For complete coverage of UFC 231, visit the UFC Events section of the site.
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