Most mixed martial arts (MMA) fans did not expect the hard-hitting Heavyweight showdown between "Bigfoot" Antonio Silva and Soa Palelei to last long tonight (Sat., Aug. 1, 2015) at UFC 190, which took place inside HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
And they were right.
"Bigfoot" ran into the cage, eager to get his hands dirty against the Australian. He wanted to get his hands on Palelei early, too, but he quickly tied up the Brazilian along the cage. When they returned to the center of the Octagon, Bigfoot landed a nice knee and then pressed Palelei back up against the cage.
The action stalled along the fence, with Bigfoot landing knees to the thighs of Palelei, who eventually exploded with a takedown and landed in half-guard. Palelei landed some solid elbows and hammerfists, forcing Bigfoot to scramble and use his legs to create distance.
Palelei finished the round with a healthy does of ground-and-pound as Bigfoot wobbled back to his corner.
Bigfoot came out for round two landing a huge uppercut early. Palelei took a step back along the cage -- he was clearly hurt. Bigfoot smelled blood in the water, pushing him up against the cage and landing another uppercut and a knee that sent Palelei crashing to the canvas.
Bigfoot followed him to the floor with more strikes before referee "Big" John McCarthy pulled him off little more than 40 seconds into the second round. That's a huge win for the Brazilian, his first in his last five most recent appearances.
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