UFC 245: Amanda Nunes Defeats De Randamie, Marlon Moraes Beats Jose Aldo

Amanda “Lioness” Nunes defended her UFC bantamweight title against Germaine De Randamie via unanimous decision. Meanwhile, in his debut in the bantamweight division, Jose Also lost to Marlon Moraes.

Nunes Retains the Title

The Brazilian fighter was dominant on the ground, where her opponent didn’t have any answers on how to prevent takedowns and wrestling situations. Although we saw Nunes (19-4 MMA, 13-1 UFC)  in problems midway through the bout, she successfully retained her title.

“Tonight I proved that I am ready for five rounds,” said the champion, who posted her 10th victory.

De Randamie (9-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC) survived the storm in the opening round as Nunes came out like fury, dominating this part of the match. After one takedown, she had a triangle choke De Randamie, who somehow managed to slip away from that position and held on until the belt.

The early part of the second round saw the Dutch fighter a bit more comfortable, connecting a few times with Nunes’ head. Nunes went for a takedown, but De Randamie got out of that position, and sent a few heavy punches and kicks, which hurt the champion pretty good.

In those moments, the Lioness looked shaken like just a few times over the recent years. She received an overhead kick, a strong jab, and a flying knee directly in the head in the span of a minute and a half. But although De Randamie won this one, Nunes was composed and didn’t want to get into an open exchange, but searched the position to lure the rival into grappling.

She did that and tried to break De Randamie’s block while on the ground with the elbow, but while doing so, Nunes received two hard upkicks from the bottom, with the second one rocking the champ. If, by any chance, De Randaime wasn’t underneath her, the Brazilian would fall on the canvas.

“I’ve told you not to underestimate that upkick,” Nunes’ coach told her during the break between the rounds. “Don’t get punched anymore.”

WOAH 😱😱😱😱

Amanda Nunes was hurt with an upkick here by Germaine De Randamie#UFC245 https://t.co/ZUCXubNF7K

— MMA India (@MMAIndiaShow) December 15, 2019

Nunes immediately went for a takedown, and while she harassed the rival with her elbow, De Randamie surprised her, and reached into a position to close the fight, with a leg choke, but missed that golden opportunity. She had luck because Dutch fighter isn’t a submission expert; otherwise, that would be the end of her reign.

That was the wake-up call, for Nunes who immediately went for a take down in the final round, not allowing De Randamie to have the slightest chance for an upset.

Moraes Controversial Win Over Aldo

Marlon Moraes ( 23-6-1 MMA) couldn’t hide his joy after hearing that the judges awarded him a split decision win over Jose Aldo (28-6-0 MMA). Magic Marlon stated after the match that he didn’t expect to see Aldo in such great shape after cutting down so much weight.

“He was great, he was so powerful,” said Moraes about his opponent.

Meanwhile, Aldo was very disappointed, and he threw a few words to the judges criticizing their decision. It was interesting to see that Moraes used as an interpreter after Aldo’s statement in the ring.

We need to say that this outcome might have gone the other way. Moraes was more than dominant in the first round. His overhead kick struck the target early on, and on a few more occasions, his left hand broke Aldo’s defense easily. But all that changed in the late part of that sequence. Aldo showed initiative, which evolved into domination in the second round.

Jose Aldo brutalised Marlon Moraes with hard body shots 🔥🔥🔥

#UFC245 https://t.co/3k4t6zWyOl

— MMA India (@MMAIndiaShow) December 15, 2019

The newbie in this division quickly turned the tide in his favor. He would hit Moraes with a severe uppercut, but Magic somehow stayed on his feet, absorbing that vicious punch. Aldo was superior in this one, and we can’t go against the impression that he won the next round also. He was in control, and Moraes picked up the pace in the late part of that frame. His face was much worse than Aldo’s, but it appears that the refs had other things on their minds.

Moraes told in his interview that he believes his victory was fully deserved. Also, he added that if needed, he is ready for a rematch.

“I think I score more. It is what it is,” Moraes said. “If they think Aldo deserves a rematch, I’ll give him a rematch right away.”