World MMA aces like Lyoto Machida and Paulo Filho approved of what they say this Saturday in Rio de Janeiro. Of the nine fights on the Platinum Fight card, only three went to the judges, in a spectacle of knockouts and submissions. And it was precisely one of the three that went the full three rounds that was the most talked about of the night, the one between Milton Vieira and Diego Braga.
Diego Braga gets knockdown on Milton Vieira. Photo: Carlos Ozorio
Diego wins rematch
In the Platinum Fight main event, Diego Braga was fully prepared to return the setback he had suffered to Vieira in 2004, resulting in a riveting bout of fisticuffs. In the opening round Diego managed a knockdown and continued throwing punches to his grounded opponent. In the second stanza Milton returned in kind. His solid Jiu-Jitsu skills served him well in getting him to the mount, where he dropped blows and nearly ended the fight. The final round was an even match that also stirred up some controversy. Braga threw a knee while Vieira was on all fours, was warned, but went unpunished. After the final bell, the scorecards revealed a split decision favoring Diego Braga, who, despite the protests from the BTT team, celebrated his performance gleefully.
Milton punishes Braga from the mount. Photo: Carlos Ozorio
Amilcar's fight-defining knee
Lighting knee
Against Fernando Paulon, Amilcar Alves showed his muay thai is in peak form. Mere seconds from the opening bell, when his opponent shot in for his legs, he threw a knee that yielded the quickest knockout of the evening.
Other matches
Igor Chatubinha had a tooth-and-nail battle with Flavio Álvaro. With solid takedowns and pinpoint punching, he held the advantage over the three rounds and took the unanimous decision. Patricio Pitbull had a truncated match with Peruvian Johnny Iwasaki. But a well applied guillotine in the second round spelt victory. Now Renan Barão left nothing to chance against also-Peruvian Jorge Enciso, finishing him with a rear-naked choke in the opening stanza.
Junior PQD punished Rony Jason with ground and pound. Damage taken, Jason was forced to desist between the second and third round. Master Jair Lourenço’s duo Ronnys Markes submitted Rocky Oliver with an arm-and-neck choke while Jorjão Rodrigues submitted James Silveira with a guillotine. Muricio Rossi demonstrated quality striking and sunk sweet armbars, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Sandro China.
Check out the complete results:
– Diego Braga (Gracie Fusion/ Viktor Gym) defeated Milton Vieira (BTT) by split decision
– Amilcar Alves (Nova União/Boxe Thai) knocked out Fernando Paulon (BTT) in R1
– Igor Chatubinha (Relma/ Minotauro Team) defeated Flávio Álvaro (Gibi Thai) by unanimous decision
– Patricio Pitbull (Kioto) submitted Johnny Iwasaki (Clube Da Luta/Peru) via guilltine in R2
– Renan Barão (NU/Kimura) submitted Jorge Enciso (Clube Da Luta/Peru) via rear-naked choke in R1
– Junior PQD (RFT) defeated Rony Jason (Combate Real) by desistance between rounds
– Ronny Markes (Nova União/Kimura) submitted Rocky Oliver (BTT) via arm-and-neck choke in R1
– Jorjão Rodrigues (Nova União/Kimura) submitted James Silveira (Clube da Luta) with a guillotine in R1
– Sandro China (Careca MMA Team) defeated Mauricio Rossi (X-GYM) by unanimous decision