UFC 147 Prelims: Rodrigo Damm Choke Submits ‘Gasparzinho’

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Strikeforce and Sengoku veteran Rodrigo Damm impressed in his promotional debut, as he submitted Anistavio Medeiros de Figueiredo with a first-round rear-naked choke at UFC 147 “Silva vs. Franklin 2” on Saturday at Mineirinho Arena in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Figueiredo (15-8, 0-1 UFC), a 24-year-old Team Nogueira member, asked out of the cage 2:12 into round one.

Damm (10-5, 1-0 UFC) stunned “Gasparzinho” with a searing right cross and followed him to the mat. He transitioned almost immediately to Figueiredo’s back, hooks in, and fished for the rear-naked choke. Moments later, the choke was in place and the fight was over.

“This is the result of all of my coaches and the training camp,” said Damm, who snapped a two-fight losing streak. “I’d like to thank all of you for your support.”

Drinaldo Blasts IFL Vet Heleno

Constrictor Team representative Francisco Drinaldo stopped International Fight League veteran Delson Heleno on brutal first-round ground-and-pound in an undercard battle at 185 pounds. Drinaldo (11-1, 1-0 UFC) brought it to a close 4:21 into round one.

A former Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion, Heleno (23-7, 0-1 UFC) fought desperately to draw his foe into a ground engagement. Drinaldo stonewalled him at every turn, often stuffing a stiff forearm in his face. Eventually, Heleno ran out of steam, and Drinaldo assumed top position. A series of violent hammerfists forced Heleno to turn away from contact and resulted in the stoppage.

“That’s exactly what I trained for,” Drinaldo said. “If I win or lose, I just want to make the crowd happy. I’m really happy I have a lot of fans now, and that’s what I did for them.”

‘Wolverine’ Edges Conceicao on Scorecards

Hand speed and persistence carried Hugo Viana to a split decision over John Teixeira da Conceicao in a closely contested preliminary featherweight tilt. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28, two of them in favor of Viana (6-0, 1-0 UFC).

A teammate of UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos, Viana threw and landed with more regularity than his countryman. The 29-year-old weathered takedowns in the second and third rounds, resuming his offensive on the feet. Conceicao (13-1-1, 0-1 UFC), who saw his nine-fight winning streak grind to a halt, worked kicks to the leg and body, only to be interrupted by well-timed counters from “Wolverine.”

Perpetuo's Third-Round Volley Halts Texeira

Thiago de Oliveira Perpetuo wiped out the previously unbeaten Leonardo Mafra Texeira with an overhand right and a series of follow-up ground strikes for a third-round technical knockout in an undercard matchup at 185 pounds. Perpetuo (9-1-1, 1-0 UFC) finished it 41 seconds into round three.

Texeira (5-1, 0-1 UFC) set a pace he could not maintain in the first round, as he whipped wild strikes into his opponent. Some landed. Some did not. Perpetuo altered the complexion of the bout in round two, when he turned an armbar attempt from Texeira into a dominant position on top and subsequent ground-and-pound.

Perpetuo came out firing in the third round, as he floored Texeira with a clean right, trailed him to the canvas and uncorked a volley of punches, elbows and hammerfists for the finish.

“That is what we were training for,” Perpetuo said. “Both of us are strikers, so that’s exactly what I wanted to do -- come in here and put him down.”

Pancini Knees, Punches Dispatch Campos

Marcos Vinicius Borges Pancini won for the 10th time in 11 fights, as he buried Wagner Campos under an avalanche of knee strikes and punches en route to a third-round technical knockout in a preliminary featherweight duel. Campos (11-4, 0-1 UFC) met his end 64 seconds into round three.

A 30-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, Campos was in command for much of the first two rounds. He mounted Pancini (20-3-1, 1-0 UFC) in the first and knocked him out of the air on an attempted flying knee in the second. However, his inability to close the deal came back to haunt him. Less than a minute into round three, Pancini belted his midsection with a pair of knees and swarmed with punches. A pair of savage left hooks left Campos out on his feet.

Arantes, Vieira Battle to Draw

Brazilian Top Team’s Milton Vieira and Felipe Arantes fought to a controversial draw in an undercard bout at 145 pounds. Scores were 29-28 for Vieira, 29-28 for Arantes and 28-28.

Arantes (14-4-1, 1-1-1 UFC) landed most of the consequential strikes and controlled the standup with a stiff left jab, timely combinations and low kicks, mixing in a flying knee in the second round and an exquisite switch kick to the head in the third.

Vieira (13-7-2, 0-0-1 UFC) nearly finished it with a second-round wheel kick but did his best work on the ground. The 33-year-old “Godfather of the Anaconda Choke” struck for a takedown inside the first two minutes and passed his foe’s guard without much resistance. However, Arantes successfully defended against his vaunted chokes and later fought off takedowns with a strong sprawl.