TUF Brazil 3 Finale results, photos: Stipe Miocic lays waste to Fabio Maldonado

SAO PAULO – Stipe Miocic probably broke a bigger sweat making the 90-second walk from the locker room to the octagon than he did once he stepped inside the cage.

Once in there, Miocic (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) made quick and easy work of Fabio Maldonado (21-7 MMA, 4-4 UFC) for a first-round TKO of the Brazilian who had jumped up in weight class to take on the American heavyweight.

The heavyweight bout was the main event of today’s TUF Brazil 3 Finale event at Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It aired on FOX Sports 1 following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Maldonado came forward quickly, perhaps hoping to lure Miocic into a slugfest. But Miocic quickly rocked him with a left hand, and seconds later, Miocic dropped Maldonado with a big right hand. Quickly on him on the ground, Miocic landed eight hammerfists until Mario Yamasaki stepped in.

The end came in just 35 seconds, indicating the level of mismatch oddsmakers and many observers believed the fight to be. Miocic was a 6-to-1 favorite in the fight.

“I was real nervous,” Miocic said. “That guy’s a tank. He keeps coming forward and doesn’t stop. He’s got the heart of a lion, and I just needed to get my shots in. I got an open break and I landed a good punch. I think it was my night. I didn’t want him to play possum with me, and I just waited for an opportunity, and I got it.”

Miocic was supposed to fight former heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos, but that fight fell apart when JDS broke his hand. Maldonado moved up from his normal home at light heavyweight to take the challenge in what many deemed a lose-lose situation for Miocic.

But now with this one behind him, Miocic said he’d still like the fight with dos Santos at some point.

“It would be great to fight Junior,” Miocic said. “He’s hurt, and I hope he gets better soon. I’ll just keep getting better and train hard.”

Up-to-the-minute TUF Brazil 3 Finale results include:

• Stipe Miocic def. Fabio Maldonado via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:35
• Antonio Carlos Jr. def. Vitor Miranda via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Warlley Alves def. Marcio Alexandre Jr. via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 3, 0:25
• Demian Maia def. Alexander Yakovlev via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Robert Peralta def. Rony Jason via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 30-27)
• Rashid Magomedov def. Rodrigo Damm via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Elias Silverio def. Ernest Chavez via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 4:21
• Gasan Umalatov def. Paulo Thiago via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Kevin Souza def. Mark Eddiva via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:52
• Ricardo Abreu def. Wagner Silva via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:06
• Marcos Rogerio de Lima def. Richardson Moreira via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:20
• Pedro Munhoz def. Matt Hobar via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:47

For complete coverage of the TUF Brazil 3 Finale, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(John Morgan contributed to this report on-site in Sao Paulo.)