Mario Pinto
Portugal
Takes snoozer as huge favorite
Pinto defeated Felipe Franco via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in London.
ANALYSIS
This was about as boring of a fight as you will ever see, and it was a highly concerning effort despite the win from Pinto, who went off as high as a -1400 favorite in some spots. Mario's team told him to try and wrestle, and he did, to the tune of a whopping 14 takedown attempts. Only two of them connected, and he finished with just 34 significant strikes landed. The 6:15 worth of control time Pinto racked up was almost entirely along the fence. Mario has power, as we saw on both the Contender Series and in his company debut against Jhonata Diniz in October, but he seems to lack an aggressive streak.
This was about as boring of a fight as you will ever see, and it was a highly concerning effort despite the win from Pinto, who went off as high as a -1400 favorite in some spots. Mario's team told him to try and wrestle, and he did, to the tune of a whopping 14 takedown attempts. Only two of them connected, and he finished with just 34 significant strikes landed. The 6:15 worth of control time Pinto racked up was almost entirely along the fence. Mario has power, as we saw on both the Contender Series and in his company debut against Jhonata Diniz in October, but he seems to lack an aggressive streak.
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More Fantasy News
Will have new opponent
Pinto will face Felipe Franco in a heavyweight matchup at UFC London on March 21, according to Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
Pinto was scheduled to face Michael Parkin, who withdrew from the bout for undisclosed reasons, but his opponent will now be Franco. Pinto has won his previous two fights at the UFC level.
Pinto was scheduled to face Michael Parkin, who withdrew from the bout for undisclosed reasons, but his opponent will now be Franco. Pinto has won his previous two fights at the UFC level.
Fighting ranked heavyweight
Pinto is scheduled to compete against Mick Parkin in a heavyweight fight at UFC London on March 21, per Damon Martin of MMA Fighting.
ANALYSIS
An unranked Pinto's next opponent is No. 13 in the UFC's heavyweight rankings, so a win over him would boost any non-ranked fighter. However, the English-native Parkin is no slouch, as his recent loss to Marcin Tybura is the lone blemish to what remains a stellar MMA record.
An unranked Pinto's next opponent is No. 13 in the UFC's heavyweight rankings, so a win over him would boost any non-ranked fighter. However, the English-native Parkin is no slouch, as his recent loss to Marcin Tybura is the lone blemish to what remains a stellar MMA record.
Flips script in easy victory
Pinto defeated Jhonata Diniz via TKO (punches) at 4:10 of Round 2 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
ANALYSIS
The entire world thought this was going to be a slugfest between two power punchers. So, of course, Pinto flipped the script entirely and leaned on his wrestling in what ended up being an easy win. He landed 3-of-4 takedowns in the bout. He was credited with 7:28 worth of control time in a fight that lasted a shade over nine minutes. The total strike count was 87-4 in Pinto's favor. There's a real chance this outcome was simply the result of Mario seeing a hole in Diniz's defense, but the display of even minor grappling abilities will serve Pinto well moving forward.
The entire world thought this was going to be a slugfest between two power punchers. So, of course, Pinto flipped the script entirely and leaned on his wrestling in what ended up being an easy win. He landed 3-of-4 takedowns in the bout. He was credited with 7:28 worth of control time in a fight that lasted a shade over nine minutes. The total strike count was 87-4 in Pinto's favor. There's a real chance this outcome was simply the result of Mario seeing a hole in Diniz's defense, but the display of even minor grappling abilities will serve Pinto well moving forward.
Scheduled against Diniz
Pinto is scheduled to compete against Jhonata Diniz in a heavyweight fight at UFC Rio on Oct. 11, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
Back in March, Pinto strongly commenced his UFC career by knocking out Austen Lane with a single punch at UFC Vegas 103. For the former's next fight, he takes on Diniz, looking to go 2-0 not long after defeating Alvin Hines following a series of bout changes beforehand.
Back in March, Pinto strongly commenced his UFC career by knocking out Austen Lane with a single punch at UFC Vegas 103. For the former's next fight, he takes on Diniz, looking to go 2-0 not long after defeating Alvin Hines following a series of bout changes beforehand.
Collects bonus-winning KO
Pinto defeated Austen Lane via KO (punch) at 0:39 on Round 2 at UFC Vegas 103 on Saturday.
ANALYSIS
Pinto had to battle adversity in Round 1, as an aggressive Lane backed him down and eventually recorded a knockdown. The Portuguese fighter was able to get back to his feet and survive the rest of the frame despite Lane unloading some more against the fence. Round 2 was an entirely different story. Lane again came out aggressive, but Pinto was able to counter a Lane jab with his own before unloading with the finishing right hand. Lane was out cold when he hit the ground, and referee Mark Smith was quick to call things off and prevent any further damage. It was the first finish of the night, and one that would go on to earn Pinto a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus. He improves to 10-0 overall, and at 26 years old, he's still theoretically improving.
Pinto had to battle adversity in Round 1, as an aggressive Lane backed him down and eventually recorded a knockdown. The Portuguese fighter was able to get back to his feet and survive the rest of the frame despite Lane unloading some more against the fence. Round 2 was an entirely different story. Lane again came out aggressive, but Pinto was able to counter a Lane jab with his own before unloading with the finishing right hand. Lane was out cold when he hit the ground, and referee Mark Smith was quick to call things off and prevent any further damage. It was the first finish of the night, and one that would go on to earn Pinto a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus. He improves to 10-0 overall, and at 26 years old, he's still theoretically improving.