Stipe Miocic became the latest challenger to unseat a UFC titleholder, stunning Fabrico Werdum in the main event, while Cris Cyborg showcased her destructive power during an action-packed UFC 198 card in Brazil.
Complete fight-by-fight results for UFC 198 below:
Stipe Miocic def. Fabricio Werdum via 1st-round KO
Stipe Miocic has something to declare when he returns from Brazil - a new belt. Werdum aggressively pursued Miocic in the opening round, but charged into a strong right hand that brought a sudden ending to the main event and crowned a new UFC heavyweight champion. Miocic, an Ohio native, was ecstatic after the fight, stating "Cleveland, we've got a champion baby!"
Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza def. Vitor Belfort via 1st-round TKO
Souza took Belfort down midway through the first round and broke him open with a series of devastating strikes. The referee briefly interrupted the action to let the doctor look at Belfort's cuts, before allowing the fight to continue. The fight resumed with Souza in top control, a position he refused to relent. Souza eventually mounted Belfort and forced a stoppage in the final minute of the first round.
Cris Cyborg def. Leslie Smith via 1st-round TKO
Cyborg made quick work of Smith, earning an 81-second technical knockout in her UFC debut. Fighting at a catchweight of 140 pounds, Cyborg was relentless, hunting Smith around the Octagon until she brought an end to the festivities with a barrage of punches early in the opening round. Fans waited a long time to see Cyborg fight under the UFC banner and it was well worth the wait.
Watch: Cyborg triumphs in UFC debut with 81-second TKO
Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua def. Corey Anderson via split decision
The 34-year-old Rua came away with a controversial decision in front of his home crowd, after being out-wrestled for the majority of the final two rounds. The judges may have been swayed by a pair of knockdowns Rua scored earlier in the fight. Shogun dropped Anderson late in the first and second, but the end of the rounds prevented stoppages on both occasions. The Brazilian improves to 24-10 in his legendary career.
Bryan Barberena def. Warlley Alves via unanimous decision
Barberena entered the fight as a 5-1 underdog, however for the second straight bout he emerged with an upset victory over a rising star. Alves went on the attack early, but Barberena answered him every step of the way over three hard-fought rounds. Fighting on foreign soil, Barberena appeared to wear down Alves and the judges saw it the same way, awarding him the unanimous decision. After handing Sage Northcutt his first loss, Barberena put an end to Alves' 10-0 career start, and is beginning to make a name for himself.
Demian Maia def. Matt Brown via 3rd-round submission (rear-naked choke)
Like many fighters before him, Matt Brown had no answer for the masterful jiu-jitsu of Demian Maia. "The Immortal" almost lasted the full three rounds, only to succumb to a rear-naked choke with thirty seconds remaining in the bout. It wouldn't have done him much good had he made it to the judges, as Maia spent almost the entire fight glued to Brown's back to completely dominate the fight.
Watch: Matt Brown takes swing at overzealous fan
Thiago Santos def. Nate Marquardt via 1st-round KO
Thiago Santos left no doubt that he is a middleweight to watch as he needed only one round to put Nate Marquardt down for the count. Things went downhill in a hurry for Marquardt, as Santos hurt him badly with a left hand. Marquardt recovered, only to take more punishment. A straight left to the temple put him facedown on the mat, bringing a merciful end to the bout.
Watch: Marquardt gets KO'd by vicious left from Santos
Francisco Trinaldo def. Yancy Medeiros via unanimous decision
Francisco Trinaldo and Yancy Medeiros had the fans at the Arena da Baixada rocking after three rounds of non-stop action. The only thing more impressive than Trinaldo's offense was Medeiros' ability to soak it all up and respond with his own emphatic strikes.
Trinaldo repeatedly wobbled Medeiros with looping hooks and overhand blows against the cage, only to see Medeiros still standing when the dust cleared. A big right in the second actually dropped Trinaldo, but the fight continued much to the delight of the cheering crowd.
Somehow, both men made it to the judges' scorecards, which Trinaldo took by unanimous decision.
John Lineker def. Rob Font via unanimous decision
John Lineker isn't letting his lack of size get in the way of a successful run at bantamweight. The former top-10 flyweight stalked Rob Font for three rounds to take a unanimous decision. Lineker refused to be put off by his opponent's considerable reach advantage, throwing hard punches to the head and body to keep Font off balance. A takedown in the third sealed the deal for Lineker and all Font could do was hold on as he pounded him from top position until the fight was over.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Patrick Cummins via 1st-round TKO
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira made short work of Patrick Cummins in the featured Fight Pass preliminary. The fight was called off at 4:52 of the opening round after a flurry of blows left Cummins on jelly legs against the cage. Cummins was never in this one, being repeatedly backed up by Nogueira's strikes until the referee jumped in to save him.
Sergio Moraes vs. Luan Chagas ends in majority draw
Debuting fighter Luan Chagas showed that he belonged in the Octagon with a majority draw against 5-fight UFC veteran Sergio Moraes. It was the rookie who came closest to finishing the fight with a concussive head kick in the first round. Moraes would eventually implement his slick grappling to control portions of the fight, but Chagas defended himself to make it to the final bell.
Renato Moicano def. Zubaira Tukhugov via split decision
It wasn't easy, but Renato Moicano remained undefeated with a split decision win over Zubaira Tukhugov. The two fighters appeared to be evenly matched for the majority of the contest, with Moicano having a slight edge in the scrambles and with his counter-punching. Tukhugov stayed aggressive throughout, but couldn't land the big shots he needed to sway the judges.
