UFC on ESPN 3 results: Eryk Anders clobbers Vinicius Moreira in vicious finish

Former Alabama linebacker Eryk Anders is back in the win column for the first time since Aug. 2018.

Saturday night, Anders (12-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) snapped a three-fight losing streak in emphatic fashion, defeating Vinicius Moreira (9-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC) by brutal first-round knockout.

The light heavyweight bout was part of the preliminary card of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 3 event at Target Center in Minneapolis. It aired on ESPN.

Early in the first round, Moreira shot for a takedown but was quickly stuffed by Anders who landed in a loosely controlled mount. Moreira scrambled back to his feet but would not quit on his pursuit of a takedown.

After a quick scramble, it was the beginning of the end for Moreira when Anders rose to his feet first. Before Moreira was set, Anders landed a thunderous lefthand which staggered the Brazilian. Visibly disoriented, Moreira ate a series of punches on the feet before his back hit the mat.

Anders landed four follow-up shots to Moreira before the bout was waved off by referee Vance Swerdan.

Three of said shots came when the Brazilian was clearly unconscious, causing many viewers (including UFC color commentator Michael Bisping) to believe the stoppage by Vance was unnecessarily late.

Regardless, a win is a win for Anders, who picked up his first victory since August 2018.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 3 results include:

• Eryk Anders def. Vinicius Moreira via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:18
• Jared Gordon def. Dan Moret via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Dalcha Lungiambula def. Dequan Townsend via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 0:42
• Amanda Ribas def. Emily Whitmire via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:10
• Maurice Greene def. Junior Albini via TKO (punches), Round 1 3:38

For complete coverage of UFC on ESPN 3, check out the UFC Events section of the site.