Oliveira dispatched the former Bellator MMA champion with a standing rear-naked choke in their UFC 210 “Cormier vs. Johnson 2” lightweight showcase on Saturday at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. Brooks -- a -235 favorite, per BetDSI.com -- conceded defeat 2:30 into Round 1, as he suffered the first submission loss of his 22-fight career.
One of the most feared grapplers in the sport, Oliveira (+185) executed two takedowns and attached himself to the American Top Team export’s back when he rose to his feet and left the door ajar. From there, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt snaked his arms in place underneath Brooks’ chin, tightened his squeeze and elicited the tapout (online sportsbooks).
“I trained a lot to be able to execute that move,” said Oliveira, who pocketed a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his efforts. “I’ve done this submission before in the UFC and I heard my corners yelling for me to hold the position and not to give it up, and he tapped. Everybody said that I have a lot of pressure on me for this fight to win but it’s not real, and I felt very comfortable. I just changed gyms, my daughter was just born and I have a lot of excitement to help my family. I want to fight and I want to win.”
A handful of other underdogs joined Oliveira in the winner’s circle, Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight titleholder Daniel Cormier chief among them.
Cormier (+122) retained his title in decisive fashion, as he fought through a broken nose to submit Anthony Johnson with a second-round rear-naked choke in the main event. Johnson (-148) employed a bizarre and misguided strategy against the American Kickboxing Academy ace, as he instigated clinches and shot for takedowns against the two-time Olympian. Cormier stood his ground, tripped “Rumble” to the canvas in the second round and positioned himself for the fight-ending choke. He encountered little resistance.
“I couldn’t believe he was going to force the wrestling,” Cormier said. “I was OK giving away the first round because I knew eventually it’d go my way.”
Meanwhile, Thiago Alves sprang a mild upset of his own, as he claimed a clear-cut unanimous decision over Patrick Cote in a three-round welterweight feature. All three cageside judges scored it 30-27.
Alves (+116) outstruck “The Predator” by a significant margin -- 103-51 in total strikes and 79-44 in significant strikes, according to FightMetric data -- and knocked down “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 4 finalist in the first and second rounds. He also executed the only takedown of the fight, as he grounded Cote (-138) in Round 3 and opened a cut on the Canadian with a slashing elbow from top position.
“It’s just a matter of having everything outside the Octagon come together,” Alves said. “Cote is known for his chin. He can take a punch, and he always comes back; it’s like he’s in zombie mode. I knew this was going to be a tough fight.”
Two other favorites were bitten by the upset bug, as former KSW champion Jan Blachowicz (-121) wound up on the wrong side of a majority decision against two-time NCAA All-American wrestler Patrick Cummins (+101) and Team Alpha Male’s Josh Emmett (-200) dropped a split verdict to Desmond Green (+170).