Junior Tafa’s decision to step into a fight on one day’s notice was commendable by all accounts, but ultimately Marcos Rogerio de Lima was the better fighter at UFC 298.
In a heavyweight prelim Saturday at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., Rogerio de Lima (22-9-1 MMA, 11-7 UFC) battered the lead leg of Tafa (5-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) with kicks until a stoppage at 1:14 of Round 2.
From the first leg kick, Tafa was impaired. He was able to recuperate multiple times when de Lima elected to try grappling and clinch work.
Ultimately, de Lima revisited the leg kicks early in Round 2 and ended the fight emphatically.
Marcos Rogerio de Lima finishes Junior Tafa after injuring his leg in the first round #UFC298 pic.twitter.com/IcXeyETRjI
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 18, 2024
With the win, de Lima bounces back from a quick, flying-knee TKO loss to Derrick Lewis in July. He moves to 3-1 in his most recent four.
In defeat, Tafa returns to the loss column after an August win over Parker Porter. Prior to his UFC 298 entry, Tafa was scheduled to fight Karl Williams (9-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) at a UFC Fight Night event March 23. The status of that bout is unclear at this time.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 298 results include:
- Marcos Rogerio de Lima def. Junior Tafa via TKO (leg kicks, punches) – Round 2, 1:14
- Rinya Nakamura def. Carlos Vera via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Zhang Mingyang def. Brendson Ribeiro via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:41
- Danny Barlow def. Josh Quinlan via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:18
- Oban Elliott def. Val Woodburn via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Miranda Maverick def. Andrea Lee via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.
