On the UFC Sao Paulo main card, Francisco Trinaldo got back in the win column by beating Jim Miller, while Pedro Munhoz submitted Rob Font with a vicious guillotine choke.
It’s been a great night for Brazilian fighters at UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Brunson in Sao Paulo, and it continued throughout the main card, as both Francisco Trinaldo and Pedro Munhoz added Ws to their respective records. Trinaldo bested Jim Miller by unanimous decision, while Munhoz hurt and then choked out Rob Font in spectacular fashion. Here’s how the fights played out.
Francisco Trinaldo def. Jim Miller by unanimous decision (29-28 x3) - Lightweights
The veteran lightweights traded heavy artillery from the get-go, particularly their power left hands. Miller caught a kick and took Trinaldo down, but Trinaldo swept him and landed on top. Not much offense was generated there, so they returned to their feet. Miller timed his double-leg to perfection and put Trinaldo on his back at the midway mark of the opening frame. Miller maintained top position and prevented Trinaldo from setting up a submission off of his back, but referee Osiris Maia curiously stood them up in the last few seconds.
Both men continued to engage in some serious striking exchanges, with Miller taking a front kick to the face but also answering with the right hook. Trinaldo tagged Miller a couple of times with the left hand, and he was stuffing the New Jersey native’s takedowns. Francisco was steadily gaining the advantage on the feet, so Miller shot for a takedown, adjusted to a guillotine choke, but Trinaldo wound up in half-guard and thus able to escape easily. Trinaldo hammered Miller with punishing ground-and-pound, tying up the arms and teeing off with elbows and punches.
Trinaldo timed a Miller takedown with a jumping knee, and in the sprawl he pushed his head down and landed some more ground strikes. On the feet, Trinaldo attacked the body of a fading Miller, and he sensed that he had his foe in major trouble. A body kick by Miller was easily caught and Trinaldo put him on his back with under 90 seconds remaining in the fight, and he stayed there until time expied. Trinaldo is 8-1 in his last 9, with his lone defeat coming at the hands of Kevin Lee. Unfortunately for Miller, in his record-breaking 28th UFC appearance, he’s on his first ever three-fight losing skid.
Pedro Munhoz def. Rob Font by submission (guillotine choke) at 4:03 of round 1 - Bantamweights
Font sought to box Munhoz early, whereas the Brazilian peppered Font’s lead leg with a steady diet of kicks. Possessing a 6.5” reach advantage, Rob’s jab was on point and he had Munhoz bleeding, but Munhoz let his hands go and cracked the American with some hard punches upstairs. Munhoz failed on a takedown attempt and Font made sure not to go to the ground. Pedro rocked Font with a hard left hook, and Font panicked and shot for a takedown. Munhoz locked in a one-arm guillotine and Font was tapping in an instant. What a phenomenal win by Munhoz, who has won four straight. Font falls to 4-2 in the UFC and loses by stoppage for the first time in his career.