UFC Vegas 55 results and highlights: Almeida taps out Porter, Hooper stops Colares

On the finish-happy UFC Vegas 55 prelims, Jailton Almeida moved up to heavyweight to submit Parker Porter, and Chase Hooper finished Felipe Colares with strikes.

We have come to the end of the finish-happy UFC Vegas 55 preliminary card, and five of the six bouts ended inside of the distance. Closing out this part of the event, Joseph Holmes landed a wicked knee to the face that dropped Alen Amedovski, and then he finished him off with a hookless rear-naked choke. All of this transpired in all of 64-seconds. Not a bad way to win your first UFC fight and bounce back from a loss.

Before that, the UFC heavyweight division witnessed what was pretty much a flawless victory. Jailton Almeida moved up from light heavyweight to run right through a much heavier Parker Porter with a first-round rear-naked choke. The only reason Almeida moved up was because there wasn’t any 205-pounders available, which speaks to the fearlessness and confidence in his abilities. Now 2-0 under the UFC banner, “Malhadinho” is off to an incredible start.

Also on the prelims, Uros Medic manifested a fantastic second round TKO of Omar Morales. It was the boxing of Medic that got him back into the win column, stringing together a brutal barrage that had the referee rescuing Morales from further abuse. “The Doctor” sure does pack a punch and extends his professional record to 8-1.

Jonathan Martinez commanded the cage tonight and outclassed Vince Morales on the feet to run away with the scorecards. Martinez earned three scores of 30-27 to extend his winning streak to three, and then called out Frankie Edgar in his post-fight interview.

Young gun Chase Hooper pulled out some ground and pound to earn himself a third round TKO on Felipe Colares. This fight had a ton of fun scrambles, but Chase was predominantly the one dropping strikes and hunting for submissions. At just 22-years-old, the future looks bright for Hooper.

Opening up the event, Sam Hughes relied on her ground game to pull out a third round TKO on Elise Reed. Hughes quickly found her path of least resistance on the mat, and was able to earn takedowns and be positionally dominant. The end came in the third when Hughes took full mount, and dropped overwhelming ground and pound until the referee had seen enough. This makes back to back wins for “Sampage.”

**See complete results below

Prelims:

Joseph Holmes def. Alen Amedovski by submission (RNC) at 1:04 of round 1: Middleweight

Holmes landed a gorgeous knee to the face to get things going that dropped Amedovski like a sack of potatoes. Holmes then jumped all over Amedovski with strikes, before shifting gears and locking up a rear-naked choke. Amedovski tapped and that was that!

Jailton Almeida def. Parker Porter by submission (RNC) at 4:35 of round 1: Heavyweight

Almeida opened the match with a front kick to the face, immediately followed by a successful double leg takedown. Porter was stuck on the bottom, with Almeida staying busy with ground strikes while maintaining control at the same time. Porter ultimately exposed his back, and Almeida locked up a rear-naked choke to get the tap.

Uros Medic def. Omar Morales by TKO at 3:05 of round 2: Lightweight

Both men came out looking to strike, but both men were struggling to land flush in the first. There were more punches being thrown than anything else on both sides, with Morales seeming to have a bit more heat on his haymakers. The round did end with Medic connecting with one clean punch before the bell.

The stickiness continued into the second act, with Medic working volume off of his jab, and Morales swinging big but often overcommitting. Just past the midpoint of the round, Medic dropped Morales with a stiff jab. Morales stood up and Medic clocked him with a huge left hand. A nasty left hook to right hook combo landed on the money for Medic, sending Morales back down to the canvas. The referee then jumped in to rescue Morales and end the match.

Jonathan Martinez def. Vince Morales by unanimous decision (30-27): Bantamweight

Martinez took the center here, routinely attacking the calf of Morales. When Morales would come forward, Martinez would fade back and counter with his boxing. Morales was sneaking in a couple of boxing combinations, but Martinez was consistently landing kicks to the body and legs.

Martinez continued to look sharp in the second round. He was commanding the cage, and outclassing Morales in the striking department. He had better footwork, better management of distance, and of course better strikes. Morales just wasn’t able to find a way to disrupt Martinez to score his own offense.

The third round saw Morales get more aggressive, trying to make something happen. the problem was that Martinez was able to manage that aggression and use his footwork to circle out and avoid a fight-ending blow. The lead leg of Morales was chewed up at this point, having several welts around his calf. Credit to him for continuing to press forward, but he was simply outclassed.

Chase Hooper def. Felipe Colares by TKO at 3:00 of round 3: Featherweight

Hooper went right to the clinch, but Colares was resisting the takedown. In open space, Colares started to launch kicks, and Hooper caught one to get the fight to the ground. From the top, Colares began dropping some hammer fists, but after he grabbed the fence the referee stopped the action to stand them back up. Colares went right back to the takedown, but Hooper hit an omoplata sweep which allowed him to get the back. Some wild scrambles ensued, with Hooper being the one landing blows in between transitions. Hooper also threatened with a D’arce before standing up, and then scored some punches on the feet before the bell.

Hooper punched his way into the clinch to begin the second round, and then more scrambles occurred. Chase was the one threatening with submissions, but Colares was able to work from the top. Colares landed in a mounted crucifix and was able to score a few elbows, but Hooper found a slick way to escape. and threatened with a heel hook before getting on top. Chase went tot he back and sprinkled down some punches as the round ended.

The third round began with Hooper entering the clinch, just to break free and score some punches. Then it was back to the fun scrambles! Hooper was still the one mixing in punches and elbows, as Colares became increasingly defensive. Hooper took the back and started to drop a ton of punches. The referee gave Colares a chance to improve his position, but didn’t, so the referee stopped the match.

Sam Hughes def. Elise Reed by TKO at 3:52 of round 3: Strawweight

Reed was letting her hands go to get things going, throwing combinations and touching her target. Hughes then closed the distance, pressing reed against the fence, but was unable to get the fight to the floor. Back in open space, Hughes used a single leg and then transitioned to a double to get Reed down. Hughes was able to land some ground strikes before Reed was able to get back to her feet, and then spent the rest of the round with Reed abasing the fence. As soon as the bell range, the referee warned Hughes about grabbing the cage.

The second round started with another flurry from Reed, followed by Hughes entering back into the clinch. Hughes hit a takedown and solidified top position, with reed struggling to improve her position. By the end of the round, Hughes was in full mount and in complete control of the fight.

Hughes was quick to get a takedown in the final round. She then surfed atop of Reed, moving from position to position. She wasn’t dropping a ton of damage, but she was having her way nonetheless. Once Hughes made it to the full mount, she was able to start dropping elbows and punches, with Reed having nowhere to go. The referee watched closely and then stopped there match when it was clear that things were only going to get worse.