The UFC Rio event kicked off in full swing, with several early scraps already grabbing fans’ attention. However, the promotion’s 13th visit to Rio de Janeiro didn’t reserve the spotlight just for the fighters — veteran referee Jason Herzog decided to steal the show during the third fight of the night.

After the crowd witnessed two spectacular finishes, Lucas Rocha and Stewart Nicoll stepped into the Octagon for one of the most anticipated flyweight bouts on the prelims. Although the fight didn’t end in a finish, both athletes put on an incredible 15-minute scrap filled with back-and-forth action. Rocha landed 115 significant strikes compared to Nicoll’s 45, earning a unanimous decision victory. While the fighters rightfully took center stage, Jason Herzog drew attention for his proficiency in Portuguese. 

Around the 4:30 mark of Round 2, Herzog began speaking to Rocha in Portuguese, communicating clearly with the Brazilian fighter Rocha in his native language. Surprisingly, this wasn’t the first time the veteran referee showcased his language skills. Back in May 2020, Herzog also spoke in Portuguese to Augusto Sakai during his fight against Blagoy Ivanov at UFC Fight Night: Tyron Woodley vs. Gilbert Burns, warning him for grabbing the cage.

Well, that was Jason Herzog not only showing off his foreign language skills to the audience. But it was also a nice gesture toward the local fighters who might understand English a little less. That gesture was also commended by Michael Bisping, who said, “More Portuguese from Herzog”, live from the commentary box.

However, coming back to the fight, Lucas Rocha made a strong comeback after losing his first UFC bout against Clayton Carpenter last year. So, after earning his maiden victory in a night full of massive turnarounds, let’s hear what the young Brazilian contender has to say. 

Lucas Rocha wants to go for the belt after UFC Rio victory  

At Dana White’s Contender Series 2023, Lucas Rocha proved himself worthy of a UFC contract by knocking out Davi Bittencourt just 18 seconds into Round 2. After that performance, many predicted the Brazilian would become a serious problem for the flyweights moving forward. But his debut loss in the promotion raised questions about whether he had what it takes to bounce back from that setback. Turned out, he actually has it. 

After a year-long layoff, Rocha worked on correcting the mistakes in his game and sharpened his skills for a strong comeback. At UFC Rio, he showcased significant improvements, particularly in technical striking and pressure. So,  highlighting his pre-fight preparation, the 25-year-old credited his teammates and coaches, acknowledging that his dream of fighting for a title had already started taking shape.

In a post-fight interview with the UFC, Rocha said, “Yeah, it’s an incredible energy to fight at home, the energy is insane. I’m happy to be on the winning column and just gonna go for that belt. Well, as my coach and my team says, you know, just gotta keep it cool. Enjoy the moment, just keep it cool. You saw me there. I was able to get in there and capitalize and get the win.”  

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Lucas Rocha clearly has massive potential, but it might be a little early to think about him fighting for the title. The challenges for the young Brazilian are only going to increase from here. That said, do you think he can go the long distance in the 125 lbs division? Let us know in the comments section below.