UFC 163 went down Saturday night from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The evening’s undercard didn’t contain a lot of big names or hot prospects, with many of its competitors drawn from Brazil’s promotional hinterlands or The Ultimate Fighter salvage pile.
Nevertheless, some preliminary performances stood out. Here are three stars of the UFC 163 undercard.
Viscardi Andrade
There wasn’t much expected from the evening’s very first fight, but Viscardi Andrade showed right off the bat that you can’t judge a book by the cover. A submission grappler first and foremost, Andrade immediately showed a desire to kickbox with a grinder in Bristol Marunde.
A low kick and a left jab from Andrade set up a huge right hand that felled Marunde early, and then a pinpoint left off his back foot as Marunde tried to return to his feet dropped Marunde for good.
Some ground-and-pound from Andrade, a takedown attempt on the ref from Marunde and it was, as they say, all over.
Result: Andrade def. Marunde by TKO, 1:36, Rd. 1
Sergio Moraes
Sergio Moraes did what he could to enter his name onto the Submission of the Year shortlist when he mounted Neil Magny and transitioned over to a triangle choke. It was just a regular mount. Did I mention that?
Whenever you hear someone say a fighter has “slick jiu-jitsu,” this is what they’re talking about.
Result: Moraes def. Magny by submission (triangle choke), 3:13, Rd. 1
Amanda Nunes
Now this is how you make a statement in MMA. In her UFC debut, 25-year-old Nunes made short work of Sheila Gaff.
The final stat line—TKO, Round 1—is no surprise, as she already had four of those on her resume coming in. But the manner was a bit unusual, as Nunes took the fight to the ground to neutralize Gaff and finished her there with elbows to the orbital.
Result: Nunes def. Gaff by TKO, 2:08, Rd. 1
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