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Ronaldo Souza stakes his claim for a UFC middleweight title shot after putting Chris Weidman down with a powerful punch at UFC 230.
Ronaldo Souza defeated Chris Weidman via TKO, Round 3 – 2:46 at UFC 230 on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018, live from New York City, NY.
The matchup between Weidman and Souza was made on short notice. Weidman was originally scheduled to meet Luke Rockhold while Souza intended to fight David Branch at UFC 230. Rockhold pulled out with an injury, however, and Souza was moved up the card to face Weidman.
Some felt that the fight was not stopped quick enough as Weidman was clearly knocked out and Souza didn not want to further the pain.
ROUND 1
We start things off with the traditional touch of gloves. Souza immediately presses forward. Weidman bounces back-and-forth, throwing out the occasional strike. A lot of jabs and feints from Weidman as he works out the distance. Muay Thai clinch and a knee down the middle by Weidman. Souza whips Weidman down and the two restart on the feet. Souza misses a looping right hand. Another big right hand misses for Souza. A nice one-two from Weidman lands. Another one-two combination stuns Souza. Now Weidman presses forward. Souza lands a body kick. A nice liver shot from Souza. The action is picking up. Nice head movement from Souza to dodge Weidman’s jabs. A roaring “USA!” chant erupts from the crowd in New York City. Weidman misses another big punch. A hard liver punch from Souza lands. Both fighters connect with a punch and they both stumble!
Fansided’s Score: 10-9 for Weidman
ROUND 2
The second round stars with Weidman as the aggressor. A lot of two-punch combos and feints from the American. Jacare gets in close and starts brawling with Weidman. The Serra-Longo product is trying to get some space but Jacare is closing in on his prey. A right-hand hits Weidman hard. This is getting nasty. The fighters exchange knees in the clinch. Weidman shakes off a knee to the chin. Weidman gets hurt by a big Weidman punch. Weidman is on the hunt as he backs Souza up to the cage. Blood seems to be dripping from Souza’s nose. Weidman catches a Souza kick and throws him to the ground. Weidman clinches Souza up against the cage.
Fansided’s Score: 10-9 for Weidman (20-18)
ROUND 3
Both fighters have landed exactly 51 significant strikes according to Jon Anik. Here we go with the final round. Great punch followed by a body kick for Weidman. Souza with a thudding leg kick. Right hook lands for Souza. Weidman is backing up. Two more rights land over the top for Souza. Straight punches down the middle for Weidman. The American with a knee to Souza’s body. An elbow lands for Weidman. He touches Souza up with light jabs looking to set up something bigger. Souza is having trouble breathing through that nose. Great combinations from Weidman. Souza with a front kick to Weidman’s body. Souza is still throwing down. He catches Weidman with a number of big shots. He knocks Weidman out! The referee lets it go for a few seconds. Dan Miragliotta cannot tell how out of it Weidman is. Souza protests and throws a few light punches before Miragliotta steps in. Souza is clearly upset with that stoppage. Weidman is still trying to grab an ankle well after the fight is over. What a spectacular late knock out for Souza.
Weidman (14-4) hoped to challenge for the UFC middleweight title against the winner of Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum. Weidman looked to be back to his winning ways having beaten Gastelum in his previous fight. Weidman has now lost four of his last five fight. He was finished y Souza, Gegard Mousasi, Yoel Romero and Rockhold.
Souza (25-6-0-1) was once considered a future UFC middleweight champion. Lately, however, he has traded wins-and-losses against the division’s elite. He beat Tim Boetsch and Derek Brunson but suffered losses to Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum. Souza now hopes to rematch the winner of the UFC middleweight title fight between Whittaker and Gastelum.
Click here for live results from all of the action from UFC 230 on Saturday, Nov. 3 live from New York City, NY.
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