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SAO PAOLO, Brazil -- Fabio Maldonado valiantly accepted a heavyweight fight with Stipe Miocic to help save the main event at "The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3," but he wasnt able to last longer than 35 seconds with his larger opponent. A big right hand for Miocic led to the quick finish in the headlining bout of Saturdays event, which took place at Sao Paulos Ibirapuera Gymnasium. Miocic (12-1) had been expected to face former UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos, but injury scrapped that matchup and Maldonado stepped in as a replacement opponent. Maldonado (21-7) was a heavy underdog in the contest, but his penchant for putting on legendary battles led some to believe he had a chance of least making the bout entertaining. Instead, Miocic avoided some early offence and countered with a right to the temple that sent Maldonado to the floor. He followed with a series of hammerfists, and the fight was waved off in just 35 seconds. "I was real nervous," Miocic said. "That guys a tank. He keeps coming forward and doesnt stop. Hes got the heart of a lion, and I just needed to get my shots in. I got an open break and I landed a good punch. I think it was my night. I didnt want him to play possum with me, and I just waited for an opportunity, and I got it." In the heavyweight final, Antonio Carlos Jr. (4-0) used a dominant grappling game to outpoint fellow finalist Vitor Miranda (9-4). Miranda tried to use his kickboxing skills to punish his opponent on the feet, and he chopped at Carloss legs throughout the 15-minute affair. But it was Carlos who simply overwhelmed his opponent by repeatedly bringing him to the floor over and over and preventing him from moving back to his feet. Mirandas submission defence was impressive, but he was never able to mount any real counter attack and Carlos was awarded the victory with scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28. Perhaps most impressive in the result is that Carlos has been competing in professional MMA for less than one full year and his natural weight class is actually at 185 pounds, where hell likely move for his next outing. "I am the TUF champion, and I couldnt be happier," said Carlos. "I had never fought three rounds, but I think I needed this to grow as a fighter." Meanwhile in the middleweight final, Warlley Alves (7-0) looked absolutely dominant in a third-round submission win over fellow finalist Marcio Alexandre Jr. (12-1). Alves was the aggressor from the start, flooring Alexandre with a big right hand in the opening seconds of the fight. To his credit, the resilient Alexandre climbed back to his feet and looked to return fire, but Alves sheer aggression kept him in control of the fight the entire time. Big shots on the feet and big takedowns to the floor left Alves clearly ahead after two rounds, but he didnt settle for cruising to a decision win. Instead Alves blasted Alexandre with a big shot on the feet and then pounced with a guillotine choke, putting his opponent to sleep 25 seconds into the third and final round. "It was an honor to fight with a full, packed Ibirapuera screaming my name," said Alves. "I am sure I will get where I want and hope to put on a show in my upcoming fights." In a welterweight matchup, Sao Paulo native Demian Maia (19-6) picked up a dominating decision win over promotional newcomer Alexander Yakovlev (21-5-1). Submission ace Maia actually struck first with his boxing skills, flooring Yakovlev in the opening round with a left hand. But it was his grappling that earned Maia the win after a gutsy Yakovlev scrambled back to his feet. In all three rounds, Maia was able to take the action to the floor and advance to mount, pinning Yakovlev to the mat and forcing him to fight from his back. To his credit, Yakovlev always tried to buck and roll and escape to his feet, but Maia kept himself in a dominant position for much of the fight and was awarded an easy-to-score decision win, 30-27 on all three judges cards. "I really needed this win because in the UFC, every win is important," Maia said. "He defended really well, but I was able impose my game both standing and on the ground. " In the nights first main-card matchup, featherweight Robbie Peralta (18-4) earned a hard-fought and oddly-scored split-decision win over Rony Jason (14-5). Jason dominated the early action, landing a massive spinning elbow in the first round that could easily have ended the fight. But Peralta fought through it and seemed to gain confidence as the bout wore on. As Jasons offence slowed, Peralta came alive, but he was never able to completely dominate the action. With every flurry fired, Jason would find at least a single answer. In the end, Peraltas volume was rewarded with a split-decision win, but Jasons gutsy effort earned him points with the judges, resulting in a bizarre array of scores with 29-28, 27-30 and 30-27. "He is a tough guy, and I knew it was going to be a battle, going back and forth," Peralta said after the win. "I am just glad I came out on top." COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Hobbled by a sprained left knee, Connor Shaw asked Steve Spurrier if he could play Saturday night at Missouri. The South Carolina coach obliged, calling on Shaw in the third quarter down with the Gamecocks down 17 and starter Dylan Thompson struggling. Shaw threw for 201 yards and three touchdowns in relief, engineering three fourth-quarter drives and helping the Gamecocks score on their final five possessions to stun No. 5 Missouri 27-24 in two overtimes. "Dylan played awfully well most of the time hes played," Spurrier said. "It was do or die. We had no chance in the division if we didnt win this one." Elliott Frys 40-yard field goal proved to be the game-winner after Missouris Andrew Baggett clanked a 24-yard attempt off the left goal post. "Hes a competitor," coach Gary Pinkel said of his kicker. "You know, thats his job and its his responsibility. Last week, he made five. . Its not one guy here. We all could have done something different to help win that football game." Shaw extended the game in the first overtime with a 15-yard touchdown pass on fourth down in the Gamecocks first overtime to match the Tigers Marcus Murphys 1-yard scamper. Missouri (7-1, 3-1) could have all but locked up the SEC East with a victory, instead South Carolina (6-2, 4-2) moves to within one game of the Tigers for the division lead, with home games against Mississippi State and Florida remaining. Shaw engineered fourth-quarter scoring drives of 65, 69 and 63 yards, and the Gamecocks knotted the score at 17 on a two-yard reception by Nick Jones with 42 seconds remaining. Ellington scored his first touchdown on a 6-yard catch with 12:13 remaining, and Elliott Fry added a 20-yard field goal with 5:03 left. Thompson started his third career game for the Gamecocks, throwing for 222 yards. The Gamecocks outgained Missouri 498-404, but couldnt convert until Shaw entered. Mike Davis caught three screen passes on South Carolinas final scoring drive in regulation, partly making up for two fumbles in the first half. The Gamecocks turned the ball over three consecutive times in the second quarter, helping Missouri take a 14-0 halftime lead. Davis, who led the confference with 125.dddddddddddd6 rushing yards per game entering the night, committed his first miscue at the Missouri 29-yard line with 12:30 remaining in the half, and his second halted a 71-yard drive at the Tigers 2-yard line with 5:46 left. He finished the night with 51 rushing yards and 99 receiving yards while backup Shon Carson added 27 on the ground and 14 through the air. Spurrier noted that despite the fumbles, Davis key role down the stretch helped the Gamecocks come back. "I didnt lose hope at all," Davis said. "Our guys, tonight we came together." Davis second fumble set the stage for a 96-yard touchdown pass from Maty Mauk to LDamian Washington for Missouri. Two yards deep in his own end zone, Mauk found Washington streaking toward the middle of the field for an easy first down, and then the receiver eluded two tackles at his 45-yard line before being untouched the rest of the way. The pass was Missouris longest since a 98-yarder from Pete Woods to Joe Stewart at Nebraska in 1976. Mauk struggled out of the gate, throwing a pass dropped by defender Sharrod Golightly and then an interception to Kaiwan Lewis, a far cry from the 41-yard pass and 20-yard touchdown toss he threw in his opening attempts last week in a 36-17 win against Florida. But Mauk then completed three of his next four to set up Missouris first touchdown, an 11-yard scamper by Murphy with 1:23 left in the first quarter. Mauk finished with 249 yards and a touchdown in his second career start, while Murphy totalled 53 yards on the ground. The Tigers added a 27-yard field goal by Baggett with 6:46 left in the third quarter before he missed a 46-yarder in the fourth quarter wide left. "I told our football team," Pinkel said. "The loss will not define us. What will define this football team is how we deal with it. . It stings, you feel awful. You feel terrible, and thats OK. But weve got to get going. We have a real good football team." The Tigers still control the SEC East race, but should South Carolina win its final two conference games, theyll have to win their remaining four games starting next week at home against Tennessee to clinch a trip to Atlanta Dec. 7. ' ' '