UFC Fight Night 36 Prelims: Iuri Alcantara Dodges Upset, Edges Wilson Reis on Scorecards

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Iuri Alcantara survived a scare.

Backed by a series of stout overhand lefts, Alcantara escaped with a split decision over onetime EliteXC bantamweight champion Wilson Reis at UFC Fight Night 36 “Machida vs. Mousasi” on Saturday at the Arena Jaragua in Jaragua do Sul, Brazil. Two of the three cageside judges arrived at 30-27 verdicts for Alcantara; a third ruled 29-28 in Reis’ favor.

Alcantara (29-5, 4-2 UFC) -- who dropped Reis with left hands in each of the first two rounds -- spent more time than he wanted scrambling out of danger. Reis gathered himself after the knockdown in the second period, mounting his fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt to briefly turn the tide. He picked up where he left off early in round three, as he delivered another takedown and kept Alcantara grounded for more than two minutes. However, the World Extreme Cagefighting alum sprang a much-needed reversal and closed with some heavy ground-and-pound from the top.

The loss put an end to a five-fight winning streak for Reis (17-5, 1-1 UFC).

Proctor Surges Past Marcello

Joe Proctor won for the fifth time in six appearances, as he registered a unanimous decision over “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 15 castmate Cristiano Marcello in an undercard tilt at 155 pounds. All three judges sided with Proctor (9-2, 2-1 UFC): 29-28, 30-27 and 29-28.

The former jiu-jitsu coach at the famed Chute Boxe camp, Marcello faded down the stretch. Proctor piled up the punches, mixing in uppercuts and jabs with other powerful blows to the head. By the third round, Marcello was little more than a stationary target. Proctor battered the fatigued Brazilian with a series of right hands, wobbling him on more than one occasion over the final five minutes.

Marcello (13-6, 1-3 UFC) has lost three of his last four fights.

Strikeforce Vet Damm Outpoints ‘Batman’

Strikeforce and Sengoku veteran Rodrigo Damm rode his hearty chin and improved standup to a unanimous decision over Ivan Jorge in a preliminary lightweight duel. All three judges scored it 29-28 for Damm (12-6, 3-1 UFC), who entered the Octagon having lost three of his previous five fights.

Jorge (25-4, 1-1 UFC) scored consistently with leg kicks and jabs throughout the 15-minute battle, threatening his counterpart with a brabo choke in the third. In between, Damm kept his nose in the fight, uncorked clubbing rights and capitalized when opportunities presented themselves.

The setback snapped a streak of seven consecutive victories for Jorge.

Trinaldo Denies Canadian Ronson

“The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil” Season 1 quarterfinalist Francisco Trinaldo picked up his eighth victory in 10 appearances, as he recorded a split decision over Canadian kickboxer Jesse Ronson in a preliminary lightweight affair. Scores were 30-27 and 29-28 for Trinaldo, 29-28 for Ronson.

Trinaldo (14-3, 4-2 UFC) unleashed the heavy artillery to the head and body in the first round, secured a late takedown in the second and iced his latest conquest in the third. There, the stocky 35-year-old Brazilian closed the distance on Ronson (13-4, 0-2 UFC), corralled him with a rear body lock and attacked with thudding knees to
the thighs and buttocks.

A takedown in the waning moments served as an exclamation point for Trinaldo.

Arantes Topples Struggling Blanco

Strong clinch work, effective punching combinations and a late point deduction spurred Macaco Gold Team representative Felipe Arantes to a unanimous verdict over former King of Pancrase Maximo Blanco in an undercard tilt at 145 pounds. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 29-27 for Arantes (16-6-1, 3-2-1 UFC).

Blanco (9-6-1, 1-3 UFC) enjoyed success in spurts, particularly to the body, but never managed to establish a consistent rhythm. Arantes floored him with a right hand in the first round and went to work with clinches and takedowns in the third.

Blanco was also deducted point for a low blow in the third round -- a development that did not aid his cause.

Once a highly regarded prospect, Blanco has lost four of his last five fights.

Alcantara Outduels Newcomer Tumenov

Former Jungle Fight champion Ildemar Alcantara won for the 10th time in 11 outings, as he escaped with a split decision over Albert Tumenov in a preliminary welterweight clash. Two of the three judges struck 29-28 and 30-27 scorecards for Alcantara; a third cast a dissenting 29-28 nod in favor of Tumenov.

Alcantara (20-6, 3-1 UFC) weathered some heavy ground-and-pound in the first round, where he found himself eating elbows from the Russian newcomer. The Brazilian answered with takedowns in round two, moving to Tumenov’s back with roughly three minutes left in the period and mounting him soon after.

The two welterweights seemed content to trade with one another in the third round. Bleeding profusely from a horizontal gash on his left eyebrow, Tumenov (12-2, 0-1 UFC) wobbled the Brazilian with a short right hand early in the frame but failed to capitalize on the opening. From there, Alcantara pecked away with jabs and combinations from the outside.

Tuhugov Halts De Andrade Streak

A few takedowns and effective multi-punch combinations carried Tiger Muay Thai’s Zubair Tuhugov to a unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten Douglas Silva de Andrade in an undercard scrap at 145 ponds. All three cageside judges scored it for Zuhugov (16-3, 1-0 UFC).

The Chechen set the tone in the first round, where he opened a diagonal cut above de Andrade’s right eye with a counter left hook and lit into the Brazilian with elbow-laced ground-and-pound. Rounds two and three were rather uneventful, though Tuhugov fought well in bursts and remained the aggressor.

The defeat halted a 21-fight winning streak for de Andrade (22-1, 0-1 UFC), who served as a short-notice replacement for the injured Thiago Tavares.