Luiz Banha scores second consecutive victory in SFT 2

Banha (left) won his second consecutive victory after leaving UFCLuiz

The second edition of the Standout Fighting Tournament (SFT) once again marked the redemption of Luiz Banha. In front of an audience of around 4 thousand people, the former UFC athlete shone by getting the better of Fábio Silva after an intense three-round fight. The new triumph, the athlete's second in the SFT, earned an invitation from the organization for Banha to fight in the inaugural fight for the event's 93kg belt.

If in the knockout over the American Rodney Wallace, in the first SFT show, Banha needed just one round to have his arm raised, against Fábio Silva the fight was much more difficult. Despite starting the duel by landing a hard right left, which opened a deep cut on Fábio's face, the São Paulo native saw his opponent return to the cage and threaten with good low kicks. In the second stage, Banha varied his attacks with elbows in clinches and shook Fábio once again, who, like a warrior, withstood the pressure.

And anyone who imagined that Fábio Silva would return for the last round of the main event of the show was surprised. A pleasant surprise. That's because he put the fight on fire and went after Banha, connecting hard blows with his good muay thai. In the final seconds of the fight, Fábio managed to swing Banha, but it was too late. The bell sounded and Banha won by unanimous decision from the side judges. “I felt the left fist in the second round, and that's why I contained the momentum in the third. He knew the fight was won, but he felt Fábio's heavy hand at the end. I'm happy for my second victory in the SFT, and I want to be here to fight for the belt in 2014”, assured Banha, in an interview given in the cage with black belt Román Laurito, official SFT interviewer.

Supported by the fans, Isidoro overcomes Conterraneo

An athlete from the Corinthians MMA team, João Isidoro entered the fight against Edson Conterrâneo, the co-main event of the night, supported by the club's fans. As soon as they came face to face under the guidance of the central referee, the fighters provoked each other and exchanged shoves, further increasing expectations for the collision between the heavyweights. And, in intelligence, Isidoro moved and undermined his opponent's gas, taking advantage of the gaps to strike. Conterraneo bet on takedown attempts, but Isidoro defended himself well, keeping the fight standing and his advantage.

In the end, after being announced as the winner of the match by unanimous decision of the side judges, João Isidoro made a point of talking about Edson Conterrâneo, showing respect for his co-worker. “This guy here is a fighter, he is a warrior. I’ve seen a lot of his battles, so I want to thank you for the opportunity to be able to fight with you,” he said, raising Countryman’s arm. The public applauded the winner's attitude.

In the first female fight of the event, Carina Damm shines

The women's debut in the SFT cage was remarkable. The experienced Carina Damm faced off against the dangerous Daiane Firmino and came out on top after three rounds of a bloody fight. Still in the first round, Damm landed an elbow and cut her opponent, who escaped three submission attempts. Even though she was bleeding a lot, Daiane was dangerous on her feet, forcing Carina to rely on takedowns and her ground game. The finish didn't come, but Carina Damm won on points at the end of the third round.

“I was surprised by the quality of Daiana, who is a great fighter and will certainly go far in MMA. She defends very well from below, works well on her feet, so, if you want to train with me at my gym, the invitation is extended, without being disrespectful to everyone on her team” invited Carina Damm.

With Rudimar Fedrigo in the corner, Babuíno wins in the preliminary

Closing the SFT 2 preliminary card, Marcos Babuíno dueled against Caco Trator, highlighting an illustrious presence in his corner. Leader of Chute Boxe and one of the most important coaches in the history of Brazilian MMA, Rudimar Fedrigo guided Babuíno to victory by unanimous decision from the side judges, after a very competitive fight.

“I'm getting rusty”, joked Rudimar, who hadn't been present in a fighter's corner since the days of the now extinct Pride.

Still on the preliminary card of the show, Cláudio Godoy submitted Márcio Teles with a beautiful rear naked choke, the same way that Allan Popeye found to beat Walter Bruce. The only knockout of the night came from Cemir Alves, who dispatched Sergio Vieira with ground and pound.

Check out the full results of the event below:

Main Card

Luiz Cane beat Fabio Silva in a unanimous decision by the judges;

João Isidoro beat Edson Conterrâneo in a unanimous decision by the judges;

Diogo Cavalcanti submitted Paulo Silva with a guillotine choke in R1;

Allan Puro Osso submitted Alex Silva with a rear naked choke in R1;

Carina Damm beat Daiane Firmino via unanimous decision by the judges;

Preliminary Card

Marcos Babuíno beat Caco Trator in a unanimous decision by the judges;

Claudio Godoy submitted Marcio Teles with a guillotine choke in R2;

Cemir Alves beat Serginho Vieira by technical knockout in R1;

Allan Popeye submitted Walter Bruce with a rear naked choke in R1;