UFC Fight Night 144: Assunção vs. Moraes 2 | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Dana Black
- May 21
- 7 min read
Table of Contents
Introduction
UFC Fight Night 144: Assunção vs. Moraes 2 took place on Saturday, February 2, 2019 at Centro de Formação Olímpica do Nordeste in Fortaleza, Brazil — broadcast live on ESPN+ as the second event of the UFC’s new five-year ESPN contract. The card drew 10,040 fans. It was the third UFC event in Fortaleza. The main event was a bantamweight rematch between Raphael Assunção and Marlon Moraes.
Moraes submitted Assunção with a guillotine choke at 3:17 of round one, reversing his split decision loss from UFC 212 in June 2017. The card produced five consecutive main card finishes — a rare run of all-stoppage depth. Moraes, Jose Aldo, Charles Oliveira, and Johnny Walker all earned Performance of the Night. No Fight of the Night was awarded. Oliveira’s submission of David Teymur was his 14th UFC submission — the most in UFC history. Walker’s TKO of Justin Ledet lasted 15 seconds.
ESPN+ 2 — Five Consecutive Main Card Finishes
The five-fight main card produced five consecutive stoppages: Moraes’s guillotine at 3:17, Aldo’s TKO at 0:44 of round two, Maia’s rear-naked choke at 2:38 of round one, Oliveira’s anaconda choke at 0:55 of round two, and Walker’s 15-second TKO of Ledet. All-stoppage main cards are rare at any level of MMA; at a UFC main card level, five consecutive stoppages across a six-fight (SBW + five finishes) card reflected the Brazilian card’s exceptional finish quality. The Brazilian crowd’s energy through the consecutive finishes was one of the year’s most atmospherically resonant fight cards.
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, February 2, 2019 (ESPN+ 2 — 2nd event of UFC’s 5-year ESPN deal; 3rd UFC in Fortaleza)
📍 Venue: Centro de Formação Olímpica do Nordeste, Fortaleza, Brazil
👥 Attendance: 10,040
📺 Broadcast: ESPN+ 2 (ESPN+ streaming)
🏆 Main Event: Raphael Assunção vs. Marlon Moraes 2 — BW (rematch; Assunção won first fight by SD at UFC 212 June 2017)
✅ Result: Moraes def. Assunção via Sub (guillotine choke) — R1, 3:17 (PoN $50k; Moraes overhand right KD + guillotine from mount; 3 UFC fights combined time: 4:57!)
Main Event: Moraes’ Guillotine Revenge Over Assunção
Assunção’s split decision win over Moraes at UFC 212 in June 2017 had been a narrow competitive verdict. Moraes’ submission of Assunção in Fortaleza was anything but close: an overhand right that dropped Assunção, followed by ground-and-pound in half-guard, and then the guillotine choke when Assunção attempted to stand. The mounted guillotine — secured before Assunção could post to defend — produced the tapout at 3:17.
Moraes’ three most recent UFC finishes had taken a combined 4:57 of octagon time: a 67-second knee KO of Aljamain Sterling at FN123, a 33-second head kick KO of Jimmie Rivera at FN131, and now the 3:17 guillotine of Assunção. His efficiency across three consecutive finishes positioned him as the BW division’s most dominant active contender and set up a title fight against TJ Dillashaw — whose subsequent EPO positive test and suspension would complicate that picture.
Aldo’s PoN, Oliveira’s Record Sub, Walker’s 15 Seconds & The Card
Charles Oliveira’s anaconda choke of David Teymur at 0:55 of round two was his 14th UFC submission — surpassing the previous record to become the most submissions in UFC history. Oliveira had been eye-poked twice in round one but rallied to land the finishing anaconda. Walker’s 15-second spinning back fist TKO of Ledet produced the card’s fastest finish and his second consecutive debut-level bonus. His two UFC fights had lasted a combined 2:12 total (1:57 + 0:15). Jair Rozenstruik’s debut head kick TKO of Albini was the HW preliminary result with the most long-term significance.
Full Results
Main Card (ESPN+)
Marlon Moraes def. Raphael Assunção — Submission (guillotine choke) — R1, 3:17 — BW (PoN $50k; overhand right KD + mounted guillotine; REVENGE for UFC 212 SD loss; 3 UFC finishes combined time: 4:57!)
Demian Maia def. Lyman Good — Submission (RNC) — R1, 2:38 — WW (Maia’s 20TH UFC WIN — tied Bisping and GSP for most WW UFC wins at the time; standing RNC from back control)
Charles Oliveira def. David Teymur — Submission (anaconda choke) — R2, 0:55 — LW (PoN $50k; 14TH UFC SUBMISSION — MOST IN UFC HISTORY! Oliveira was eye-poked twice in R1 before rallying to land anaconda; Teymur Swedish LW)
Johnny Walker def. Justin Ledet — TKO (spinning back fist) — R1, 0:15 — LHW (PoN $50k; 15-SECOND FINISH; Walker’s 2 UFC fights combined: 2:12! Spinning back fist to the temple)
Livia Renata Souza def. Sarah Frota — Women’s SBW (Frota missed weight by ~7 lbs at UFC debut; fight proceeded at catchweight)
Preliminary Card (ESPN+ / ESPN)
Markus Perez def. Anthony Hernandez — Submission (anaconda choke) — R1, 1:07 — MW
Mara Romero Borella def. Taila Santos — Split Decision — Women’s FLW
Thiago Alves def. Max Griffin — Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) — WW
Jair Rozenstruik def. Junior Albini — TKO (head kick and punches) — R2, 0:54 — HW (ROZENSTRUIK’S UFC DEBUT; future HW top-5 contender!)
Said Nurmagomedov def. Ricardo Ramos — TKO (spinning back kick and punches) — R1, 2:28 — BW
Rogerio Bontorin def. Magomed Bibulatov — Split Decision — FLW
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Fight of the Night: NOT AWARDED
🥇 Performance of the Night: Moraes + Aldo + Oliveira + Walker — $50,000 each (5 main card finishes; 4 PoN)
Records & Milestones
• Charles Oliveira’s 14th UFC submission — most in UFC history at the time.
• Demian Maia’s 20th UFC win — tied Bisping and GSP for most UFC WW wins.
• Walker’s 2 UFC fights combined time: 2:12 (1:57 elbow KO + 0:15 spinning back fist TKO).
Legacy & Impact
FAQ
What was Moraes’ combined fight time record?
Across his three most recent UFC fights, Moraes had competed for a combined 4:57 of octagon time: 67 seconds (knee KO of Sterling at FN123), 33 seconds (head kick KO of Rivera at FN131), and 197 seconds (guillotine of Assunção at FN144). Three consecutive UFC finishes in under five minutes of combined competition time was one of the most efficient consecutive-finish records in BW history.
What made Aldo’s Fortaleza win so emotionally resonant?
What was Oliveira’s record submission?
Oliveira’s anaconda choke of Teymur at 0:55 of round two was his 14th UFC submission — surpassing the previous all-time record of 13 held by multiple fighters. The anaconda was applied from front headlock position after Teymur attempted to circle away from Oliveira’s ground chase. Oliveira had been eye-poked twice in round one with no points deducted; his R2 anaconda despite R1 adversity reflected the submission-chain quality that his subsequent LW career built upon.
What was Walker’s spinning back fist?
Walker’s spinning back fist of Ledet at 0:15 of round one landed at the temple after Walker rotated away from Ledet’s forward pressure and drove the back of his closed fist into Ledet’s skull. The technique requires the opponent to be moving forward to intersect with the rotation; Ledet’s advance into the strike provided the contact geometry. Walker’s 15-second finish was his fastest professional finish and one of the fastest individual finishes in UFC LHW history at the time.
Who was Jair Rozenstruik before his debut?
Rozenstruik was a 30-year-old Paramaribo, Suriname HW who had gone 9-0 professionally before Fortaleza, with all nine wins by KO. His kickboxing background — including a Glory Kickboxing career with wins over multiple world-ranked heavyweights — made his UFC debut one of the year’s most anticipated HW introductions. His R2 head kick TKO of Albini demonstrated the standing striking quality that his subsequent HW career built upon, producing wins over Alistair Overeem, Junior dos Santos, and Ben Rothwell.
What was Maia’s 20th UFC win significance?
Maia’s standing rear-naked choke of Lyman Good at 2:38 of round one was his 20th win inside the UFC — tying the records of Michael Bisping and Georges St-Pierre for most WW wins in the organization’s history at the time. Maia’s 20 UFC wins had been accumulated across MW and WW careers spanning 2007 through 2019, making him one of the UFC’s longest-serving active competitors. His RNC from a standing position — applied when Good attempted to stand from a double-leg takedown — was a textbook Maia finish.
References
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