UFC Fight Night 156: Shevchenko vs. Carmouche 2 | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Dana Black
- May 21
- 7 min read
Table of Contents
Introduction
First UFC in Uruguay — 24th Country
Antel Arena holds approximately 10,000. The 9,225 attendance was near-capacity for Montevideo’s UFC debut. Uruguay became the 24th country in UFC history — a Latin American debut that complemented previous visits to Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Colombia. The Montevideo card reflected the UFC’s commercial expansion into South American markets beyond Brazil.
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, August 10, 2019 (FIRST UFC IN URUGUAY — 24th country; ESPN+ 14)
📍 Venue: Antel Arena, Montevideo, Uruguay
👥 Attendance: 9,225 (near-capacity)
📺 Broadcast: ESPN+ 14 (ESPN+ streaming)
🏆 Main Event: Valentina Shevchenko (c) vs. Liz Carmouche — Women’s FLW Championship (5 rounds; 2nd Shevchenko title defense; rematch of 2016 UFC on Fox 22)
Main Event: Shevchenko’s 50-45 Title Defense
Luque/Perry FotN, Oezdemir’s PoN, Gane’s Debut & The Card
Vicente Luque and Mike Perry’s split decision Fight of the Night was the Montevideo card’s most commercially entertaining welterweight matchup. Perry’s aggressive forward-pressure style and Luque’s counter-striking quality produced three competitive rounds. The split 28-29, 29-28, 29-28 verdict gave Luque the decision. Both fighters’ willingness to engage in sustained offensive exchanges without defensive retreating earned the FotN.
Volkan Oezdemir’s Performance of the Night KO of Ilir Latifi at 4:31 of round two was the Montevideo card’s most significant individual LHW competitive result after two previous fight cancellations. Ciryl Gane’s UFC debut against Raphael Pessoa was the Montevideo card’s most significant individual legacy result: the 29-year-old Parisian HW won and introduced himself as a technical kickboxer with the frame and footwork that would define his HW career. Rodolfo Vieira’s debut arm-triangle of Oskar Piechota introduced the Brazilian BJJ world champion to UFC competition. Gilbert Burns’ WW debut win over Alexey Kunchenko was his first UFC fight at 170 lbs after a career at 155.
Full Results
Main Card (ESPN+)
Vicente Luque def. Mike Perry — Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) — WW (FotN $50k each; offensive exchanges; Luque counter-striking; Perry forward pressure)
Luiz Eduardo Garagorri def. Humberto Bandenay — Unanimous Decision — FW (Garagorri debut; home continent fight)
Volkan Oezdemir def. Ilir Latifi — KO (punches) — R2, 4:31 — LHW (PoN $50k; fight rescheduled 3 TIMES; 2 previous cancellations; Oezdemir power finally connected!)
Rodolfo Vieira def. Oskar Piechota — Submission (arm-triangle choke) — R2, 4:26 — MW (VIEIRA’S UFC DEBUT; BJJ WORLD CHAMPION debut! Arm-triangle from top position)
Enrique Barzola def. Bobby Moffett — Unanimous Decision — FW
Preliminary Card (ESPN / ESPN+)
Ciryl Gane def. Raphael Pessoa — HW (GANE’S UFC DEBUT! Future UFC INTERIM HW CHAMPION; technical kickboxing HW introduction)
Marina Rodriguez def. Tecia Torres — Women’s SBW (RODRIGUEZ DEBUT UPSET of ranked Torres! Future SBW title challenger!)
Gilbert Burns def. Alexey Kunchenko — WW (BURNS’ WW DEBUT! First fight at 170 after LW career; future WW title challenger against Usman!)
Rogerio Bontorin def. Raulian Paiva — FLW
Veronica Macedo def. Polyana Viana — Women’s FLW (PoN $50k; Macedo finish quality)
Geraldo de Freitas Jr. def. Chris Gutierrez — BW
Taila Santos vs. Ariane Carnelossi — Women’s FLW
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Fight of the Night: Vicente Luque + Mike Perry — $50,000 each
🥇 Performance of the Night: Volkan Oezdemir + Veronica Macedo — $50,000 each
Records & Milestones
• First UFC event in Uruguay (24th country).
• Ciryl Gane and Rodolfo Vieira both debuted on the same card — future top-10 HW and MW respectively.
Legacy & Impact
Burns’ Montevideo WW debut win launched the WW career that produced consecutive wins over Demian Maia, Tyron Woodley, and Stephen Thompson before the UFC WW title fight against Kamaru Usman at UFC 258 in February 2021. Marina Rodriguez’s debut upset of Torres launched the SBW career that produced wins over Michelle Waterson and Cynthia Calvillo before a title fight against Carla Esparza at UFC 277. Vieira’s debut sub of Piechota launched an MW career that produced additional wins before his own subsequent competitive challenges.
FAQ
What was the Oezdemir vs. Latifi history?
Oezdemir and Latifi had been scheduled three times before Montevideo. Previous bookings had been cancelled twice due to injuries. Oezdemir had gone 1-2 in the UFC after his 2017 LHW title fight loss to Daniel Cormier — losing the title fight and then losing to Anthony Smith at FN138 before a controversial SD win over Dominick Reyes at FN147. His Montevideo KO of Latifi at 4:31 of round two was his most emphatic individual result since his title-shot-earning KOs in 2017.
Who was Ciryl Gane before his UFC debut?
Gane was a 29-year-old Parisian HW who had gone 5-0 professionally before Montevideo, with all five wins by knockout or TKO. His kickboxing background and technical striking footwork for a 265-lb fighter — his ability to maintain distance, control range, and land high-accuracy punch combinations — were the individual qualities that his debut was designed to showcase. Pessoa weighed 261 lbs to Gane’s 241.5; the weight difference highlighted Gane’s technical quality over raw mass.
What was Rodolfo Vieira’s debut significance?
Vieira was a 29-year-old Rio de Janeiro MW who had won multiple BJJ world championships, including IBJJF World Championships at multiple weight classes. His UFC debut arm-triangle of Piechota — an opponent with previous UFC experience — demonstrated that his competition-level BJJ translated directly to UFC MW competition. His subsequent UFC MW career produced wins at a competitive level before his own career challenges.
What was Gilbert Burns’ WW debut significance?
Burns had competed at lightweight since his UFC debut in 2014, going 8-4 at LW. His Montevideo WW debut at 170 — fighting Alexey Kunchenko, a Russian WW with UFC experience — was the first competitive evidence that his frame and athleticism translated to the heavier division. His subsequent WW career produced an extraordinary win streak: Demian Maia, Tyron Woodley, and Stephen Thompson before the Usman title fight.
Who was Marina Rodriguez?
Rodriguez was a 31-year-old Minas Gerais, Brazil SBW who had gone 9-1-2 professionally before Montevideo. Her debut upset of Tecia Torres — a Hawaii SBW with multiple UFC wins and a former title shot — was her most commercially significant result. Torres was 8-4 in the UFC with previous title fight experience; Rodriguez’s debut win over her was the type of upset that established a contender’s presence immediately.
What was Carmouche’s historical significance?
Carmouche was one half of the first-ever UFC women’s title fight — challenging Ronda Rousey for the inaugural UFC Women’s BW Championship at UFC 157 in February 2013. Her Montevideo title challenge for the UFC Women’s FLW Championship was her second career UFC title fight appearance, six years and a full weight class separation later. Her competitive submission attempt of Rousey in 2013 and her Montevideo title challenge against Shevchenko represented the bookends of the UFC women’s competitive era’s first decade.
References
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