Featherweight Antonio Carvalho showed explosive power and excellent balance as he destroyed Daniel Pineda Saturday night. It was one of the UFC 149 prelims, but it set a high-standard for the rest of the card.
The KO came in the first round and Carvalho certainly made a statement with his power.
Carvalho was competing in front of the hometown Canadian crowd, and he did not disappoint. He landed a nicely placed high kick that dazed Pineda and moments later he depleted him with a right hand.
Throughout the short bout, Carvalho was quicker, stronger and more poised. The latter quality led to the two definitive shots. Pineda was over-aggressive, and as a more experienced wrestler, he should have tried to take Carvalho to the ground.
His willingness to trade was his undoing.
The win was a rebound of sorts for Carvalho. He lost his last bout against Brazilian Felipe Arantes at UFC 142 in Brazil.
This time, he was the one that took advantage of the home-field advantage. It’s too early to say that Jose Aldo is on notice, but it was an impressive performance.
The win gave him a 14-5 record overall and it was his seventh win by KO. If he can score a few more wins on this level, it will be only a matter of time before he finds himself in the Octagon with some bigger names and on the pay-per-view aspect of the show.
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