RIO DE JANEIRO -- This is the UFC 134 live blog for all the Facebook preliminary bouts on tonight's UFC: Rio pay-per-view at the HSBC Arena in Brazil.Highlighting the undercard is a welterweight tilt between Paulo Thiago (13-3) and David Mitchell (11-1). The first bout is scheduled to begin around 6 p.m. ET.
The live blog is below.
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Yves Jabouin vs. Ian Loveland
Round 1: Here we go. A little history for the first UFC card in Brazil in 13 years. And we start with the only fight of the night not involving a Brazilian. Jabouin is from Canada, Loveland from the U.S.A. Crowd sounds very loud as they meet in the middle. Loveland comes at Jabouin early. Spinning back kick from Jabouin, a Tristar Gym product. Loveland is a wrestler, and he tries to tie things up momentarily. And about a minute in, we get another kick from Jabouin, then some nice short punches from Loveland. Another Jabouin kick is caught by Loveland, and he takes Jabouin to the ground with it. Loveland trying to work some short ground and pound from half guard. He tries to pass, but winds up in butterfly guard. Loveland gets to half guard and looks for an arm, but abandons it. The ref stops the fight and has Stitch Duran cut off a loose piece of tape from Loveland's glove – but doesn't put them back on the ground on the restart. That's a big advantage for Jabouin, who was being controlled on the ground by "The Barn Owl." Good left body kick from Loveland, but Jabouin counters with a kick to the ribs of his own. Right hand from Loveland backs Jabouin up. Loveland rushes in and just misses with a few wild punches. Jabouin throws a low kick. Then another, which Loveland counters with a nice punch. Jabouin throws another back kick that just misses, then absolutely rocks Loveland with a right that backs him up – and just misses a follow-up knee. That made the round a lot closer, but we'll give it to Loveland for his control and aggression – though it's close.
Round 2: Pretty easy takedown from Loveland in the first three seconds and into side control, but a nice reversal from Jabouin, who gets back to his feet. Loveland gets a guillotine for just a moment, but it's not there and Jabouin now has top position on the ground in Loveland's guard. Loveland tries for a triangle that isn't there, then sweeps and gets to half guard looking for ground and pound. Back on the feet, the pace slows for a few ticks. Jabouin throws a left kick and follows it with a beautiful spinning back kick that pushes Loveland to the cage. They re-set, and Jabouin again throws a spinning back kick at the same time as Loveland looks for a front kick, and Jabouin's lands in the nether regions. We get a very brief pause, but Loveland's OK. Spinning back fist from Jabouin lands – he's a tilt-a-whirl in there tonight. Loveland gets another takedown, though a nice Jabouin sprawl limits its effectiveness. Big body shot from Jabouin, and then a double-leg takedown from Jabouin with 10 seconds left should give him the round. We'll score it 10-9 for Jabouin, and that makes it 19-19 on the MMA Fighting card heading to the last round.
Round 3: Early kick from Jabouin is countered by a short combo from Loveland. Jabouin looking for his next opening, then lands a couple outside leg kicks. He stuffs a Loveland takedown attempt, and at this point Jabouin looks like he has a little more left in the tank. Jabouin shoots for a takedown and gets it, but Loveland pops back up immediately. Right uppercut by Loveland just misses. He counters with a right that lands, then some jabs. Jabouin shoots, but pushes off when he sees it's not there. Spinning back fist again lands, and Loveland ties him up looking for a takedown that doesn't happen. High right kick from Jabouin is partially blocked. With two minutes left, Loveland probably needs to mount some decent offense. A side kick from Jabouin lands. Spinning back kick to the body lands, which is followed by two near misses with head kicks. Loveland's takedown is stuffed, and Jabouin gets a small takedown on the fence. Back up, Jabouin lands a right and the last few seconds see a short flurry and a takedown attempt from Jabouin that isn't there. We'll give the third to Jabouin, 10-9, and the fight to him 29-28 – though it could be a 30-27 from some judges.
Result: Yves Jabouin def. Ian Loveland, split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
Felipe Arantes vs. Yuri Alcantara
Round 1: Nice hand for Alcantara, a Brazilian. Arantes, also a Brazilian, trains out of New Jersey. And Alcantara moves in quickly with a combination against the fence. Then he counters a leg kick with a nice combo. Spinning back kick from Arantes is nice, but Alcantara comes back with a nice elbow. Another Arantes kick is checked by Alcantara. Southpaw stance for Alcantara, and he throws a big looping left that is blocked. He catches a kick, then clinches and gets an easy takedown. Arantes on the bottom in half guard as Alcantara tries to pass. He can't, and settles back into half guard. Nice left hand from the bottom by Arantes. Alcantara tries to soften Arantes up with some body shots. Then he postures up and delivers a handful of lefts to the head, passes guard to side control and then tries to mount. He can't, and it's back to half guard. Arantes is cut under his right eye. Mario Yamasaki stops the fight with a minute left in the round to stand them back up – though they hadn't been dormant down there for very long. Good left jab form Alcantara. Spinning back kick from Arantes doesn't land in the last 10 seconds. MMA Fighting scores the round for Alcantara, 10-9.
Round 2: High kick from Arantes is partially blocked. We trade jabs and kicks, but nothing of much consequence until Alcantara gets the fight back to the ground, then passes to side control. He spins and works his way to mount quite nicely, and Arantes could be in a world of trouble now. But Arantes is able to wriggle out when Alcantara looks for an arm triangle from the top. Alcantara has to settle for full guard again, but soon after Yamasaki again stands them back up. Arantes lands a nice knee from the clinch, but Alcantara uses the clinch for a nice takedown against the cage and lands some body shots from half guard. It's another 10-9 round for Alcantara on our card.
Round 3: Early takedown from Alcantara, who pretty easily takes Arantes' back and looks to secure a body triangle. But Arantes gets a nice reversal and spins out. He gets top position and tries to land some ground and pound from Alcantara's guard. Arantes probably needs to do enough this round to actually end the fight, not just win the round. Alcantara holds onto an arm to try to limit the damage. Arantes stands up and looks to land leg kicks while Alcantara is on his back, then dives in to look for some power bombs. Halfway through the round, Arantes continues to land some decent ground and pound. And even though he's working on landing shots, Yamasaki stands them up. Arantes throws a quick flying knee, and Alcantara catches it, takes the fight to the ground, and Arantes is on his back. With about a minute left, Arantes looks to scramble out. And again Yamasaki stands them with 45 seconds left – and that was a reasonably good standup. Alcantara gets a single-leg and gets the takedown. The fight will end on the ground with Arantes having nothing he can do offensively. Round 3 is much closer, and MMA Fighting will give it a 10-10. But the fight should go to Alcantara, 30-28 on our card.
Result: Yuri Alcantara def. Felipe Arantes, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Erick Silva vs. Luis Ramos
(Ben Fowlkes taking over the liveblog from Rio, now that the internet works...at least for the moment. Big ups to Matt Erickson on the first two fights. Getting by with a little help from my friends here.)
Round 1: Silva wings a punch and dives in for the takedown right off the bat, but Ramos stuffs it and comes back with a flurry that pushes Silva back. Silva throws out a jab and comes in low behind it with a right that lands cleanly on Ramos' jaw. Ramos goes down and Silva follows with several more rights on the ground. Herb Dean gives it a second, then steps in to stop it. Ramos staggers up to complain, but he can barely stand, proving Dean made the right call.
Erick Silva def. Luis Ramos via TKO (punches) at 0:40 of round one.
Raphael Assuncao vs. Johnny Eduardo
Round 1:The crowd is not impressed by the fact that Assuncao is from Brazil, but trains in Florida. Eduardo is their man tonight. We start slow, with both men sizing the other up. Assuncao comes in with a combo and eats a hook. Leg kick from Assuncao and Eduardo tags him with a perfectly timed right hand that wobbles him just a bit. Assuncao shoots for a single-leg after a lull in the action, and he keeps after it tenaciously enough to eventually put Eduardo down, much to the crowd's dismay. This crowd is not a fan of grappling, it seems. After a ref stand-up they go back to work on the feet, with Eduardo trying a fancy kick that misses by a mile and Assuncao going into a kung fu movie pose for no good reason. Eduardo thinks about another spinning kick before the round ends, but nothing. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Eduardo.
Round 2: They meet in the middle and trade in close, then Assuncao again tries to get it to the mat. He settles for a bear hug around Eduardo's waist in a standing position, and the crowd whistles, not necessarily kindly. They break and Eduardo walks Assuncao down enough to land that right hand again, which has been his best weapon so far. Assuncao ducks under the next one and tries for a double-leg, but can't get it. More whistles. Despite being the home of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Brazil did not come here tonight to see intricate grappling matches. Assuncao lands a decent left hook, and Eduardo comes back with a spinning heel kick to the body. Assuncao drops and jumps to Eduardo's back in the final minute, and this time manages to work him down and get his hooks in, though he's running out of time to work. The round ends with Assuncao stuck to Eduardo's back, and the crowd none too pleased about it. MMA Fighting gives the round to Assuncao, 10-9.
Round 3: Eduardo tries the right, followed by a leg kick, but Assuncao is staying at a safe distance, looking for that takedown. Assuncao jabs from way outside, backing away from Eduardo. Eduardo keeps waving him in, and Assuncao responds by looking for the takedown again, nearly getting his leg caught in something nasty. Eduardo eventually gives up hope of a submission and settles for the bottom position. Assuncao picks at him with left hands from a standing position. The ref has seen enough, and brings them back up. Final minute now, and the crowd doesn't seem to feel it's getting its money's worth out of these two. Nice shot by Eduardo brings them back into it, but he doesn't follow up. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Assuncao.
Raphael Assuncao def. Johnny Eduardo via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
Paulo Thiago vs. David Mitchell
Round 1: Mitchell comes out to a "Star-Spangled Banner" mash-up and embraces the boos. Thiago, the Brazilian special forces soldier, gets the biggest crowd pop yet for a song everyone in this arena but me seems to know. Once the fight begins, Mitchell jabs his way forward with a strange little smile on his face. Thiago wings a wild right that misses, and the crowd goes wild. Leg kick by Thiago and, you guessed it, the crowd goes nuts. Thiago shoots and puts Miller on his back, moving right to side control. A song starts up, something about being Brazilian, I'm told. It's deafening. Back on their feet after little action, Mitchell's still smiling and trying to jab his way in. Thiago lands a glancing body blow with a spinning heel kick. Thiago ducks under a Mitchell punch and moves to his back, scooping him up for a slam. The chant of 'You're going to die' starts up in the crowd. Thiago tries to go to knee on stomach, but ends up relinquishing the position and letting Miller up again just before the round ends. MMA Fighting gives it to Thiago, 10-9.
Round 2: Mitchell gets some offense going for the first time by kicking Thiago's legs out from under him, then slipping in for a clinch against the fence. They get to the mat briefly, but Thiago doesn't seem like he wants to stay there. He stands, just to take Mitchell down, then lets him up again. Mitchell gets his jab going finally and pops Thiago's head back. Another takedown for Thiago, and he's in side control. I'm told the chant has just gotten obscene, and won't be repeated here. Just know it involved speculation about Mitchell's mother. Mitchell is bloodied about the eye in the final minute, but still game. Thiago seems to be tiring just a bit. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Thiago.
Round 3: The crowd goes into the wave to start the third, then applauds their own effort. Again, this is a prelim fight. How are they going to keep this up all night? Thiago backs Mitchell up against the fence with a blistering punch combo, then adds an overhand right that has him briefly off-balance. Seconds later, a nice hook by Thiago, then a takedown. He doesn't want to work on the ground, so again he lets Mitchell up. Thiago seems to be bloodied about the bridge of his nose now. Mitchell is trying to track Thiago down with that left hook, but it's far too telegraphed. Nice right hand by Mitchell, but the crowd acts like it didn't happen. There's your hometown advantage. That works on the judges. Thiago opens up with a three-punch combo, finishing with a left hook that stings Mitchell. Thiago jumps onto Mitchell's back in the final twenty seconds, but can't finish the choke before the horn sounds. The crowd erupts as if he's just won the World Cup. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 for Thiago.
Paulo Thiago def. David Mitchell via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
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