Imago
via Instagram
Imago
via Instagram
UFC 327 is upon us, with plenty of action to follow. But there was one event that may have gone under the radar for many, except the hardcore. Over at São Paulo, Brazil, Centurion FC 28: Progredior saw a debutant secure two spectacular back-to-back wins in one night. Who is that stud?
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Well, it’s none other than Brazil’s own Yuri Popeye, who won the CFC Tournament in the welterweight division. The event saw a number of MMA bouts alongside boxing and kickboxing. But the night belonged to Popeye, who in one of the opening fights, stepped into the cage for the first time and sent a strong message.
Facing Guilherme Severo, who had plenty of experience and was coming off two finishes, Popeye wasn’t intimidated. The debutant backed his 38-year-old opponent to the cage in the second round and delivered a brutal combination to Severo’s body before coming upstairs with a thunderous right hook. Severo was quickly knocked out as Popeye advanced in the tournament.
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The Brazilian quickly settled himself because he had another fight coming up. This time, he faced Luciano Oliveira in the welterweight finals. Although Popeye had to weather a storm early in the fight, he quickly proved that knockouts aren’t the only thing he is good at. He forced Oliveira into a haphazard takedown attempt.
And followed it up with a few punches, which appeared to have softened Oliveira up. Popeye then locked him up in a choke, and the tap came quickly from Oliveira. A few more such performances, Popeye could be firmly on the UFC’s radar. Despite Popeye’s amazing performance, he isn’t the only one to have accomplished such a feat.
Yuri Popeye is the latest to win two fights in one night
Long before Popeye achieved the feat, Randy Couture and Royce Gracie both showcased the rare ability to defeat multiple opponents in a single night. At UFC 13 in 1997, Couture stepped in as a late replacement and made an immediate impact. Despite giving up significant size, he dominated his semifinal opponent, Tony Halme, securing a quick rear-naked choke.
He then carried that momentum into the finals, where he finished Steven Graham via TKO to win the tournament. Similarly, Gracie built his legacy in the early 1990s by competing multiple times in one evening. At UFC 1, he defeated three opponents in a single night, but even in smaller brackets, he consistently handled more than one fight per event.
Despite the accomplishments of legends from the past, what Yuri Popeye has done can’t be overlooked. With performance like that, fans will definitely have their eyes on the Brazilian fighter.
