UFC Sao Paulo Results

The UFC debut of highly-regarded Contender Series graduate Tracy Cortez was a successful one, as she defeated Sao Paulo’s Vanessa Melo via unanimous decision in the bantamweight opener.
 
Scores were 30-27 twice and 29-28 for Cortez, now 7-1. Melo falls to 10-7.
 
Competitive throughout the first two rounds, Melo had her chances to make her move to take the fight, but Cortez steadily extended her lead once she switched from primarily striking to grappling, and after some heated exchanges early in round three, the Arizonan took Melo to the mat a minute in and she kept her there with a steady ground-and-pound attack that lasted until the final horn.

Flyweight prospect Ariane Lipski earned her first UFC victory, outpointing gutsy late replacement foe Isabela de Padua over three rounds.
 
Scores were 30-26 twice and 29-27 for Curitiba’s Lipski. De Padua, who replaced Veronica Macedo on weigh-in day, falls to 5-2.
 
Lipski came out of her corner firing as the fight began, and within 20 seconds a right hand put de Padua on the deck. De Padua recovered after eating some ground strikes, yet after getting to her feet midway through the round, she began eating strikes again, prompting a takedown that put Lipski on her back. De Padua dominated the rest of the frame, raining down strikes from the top position.
 
The fight went to the mat early in round two, this time with Lipski in control on top. And while she was winning the round, she added to her lead when de Padua was docked a point from referee Fernando Portella for an illegal upkick. De Padua was far from done, though, as she tried to lock up a reverse triangle before the horn sounded.
 
It was Lipski’s turn to try for a submission in round three, as she sought a kneebar, but de Padua got free and into her foe’s guard. The Sao Paulo product wasn’t able to turn the fight around though, as it was clearly Lipski’s night.