The second fight of the UFC 163 preliminary card was a light heavyweight bout as Francimar Barroso won his UFC debut by unanimous decision as he defeated Ednaldo Oliveira.
When the opening bell sounded, both fighters rushed at each other and Barroso began to throw leg kicks to counter the four inch reach advantage that Oliveira had.
Oliveira had to chase down Barroso to get within striking range and struggled to connect with his punches in the opening half of the first round. Barroso continued to throw his leg kicks and Oliveira became frustrated with Barroso running around the octagon. As the first round came to a conclusion, Oliveira asked Barroso to come forward.
In the second round, they would continue to have a striking bout and Barroso would continue to throw his leg kicks. Oliveira was able to catch a leg kick in the opening two minutes and took Barroso to the ground. He landed several strikes on the ground but allowed Barroso to get back to his feet.
After getting back to his feet, Barroso looked to take the fight to the ground with a takedown but Oliveira was able to stop the attempt and they clinched against the cage. Referee Leon Roberts would end up separating the fighters after a lack of action and the fight returned to the center of the cage.
Upon the restart, Barroso became the aggressor and landed several strikes before taking the fight to the ground. As Oliveira was working his way back to his feet, Barroso landed a knee and the fight moved into the third round.
At the start of the third round, Barroso went for a takedown and ended up attempting a guillotine choke. Oliveira was able to escape the submission and they clinched against the fence with Oliveira looking for a takedown. He would not get a takedown as Barroso would use a leg trip to take the fight to the ground.
Oliveira worked is way back to his feet and landed a couple of knees in the clinch. They continued to clinch against the fence and the referee separated the fighters after a lack of action. With one minute left in the fight, Barroso initiated the clinch but Oliveira pushed him off. With thirty seconds left, Oliveria went for a takedown and the attempt was unsuccessful and the fight would be decided by the judges scorecards.
All three judges would score the fight for Barroso (16-3) and he has now won four fights in a row. Oliveira (13-2-1, 1NC) has now lost back to back fights in the UFC with his previous bout coming as a heavyweight.
UFC 163 Results:
Francimar Barroso def. Ednaldo Oliveira via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Viscardi Andrade def. Bristol Marunde via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 1:36