Belfort and Henderson have their third duel in São Paulo. Photo: Disclosure/UFC
The UFC is holding the last event of its Brazilian season in 7 this Saturday (2015). UFC Fight Night 77, at Ginásio do Ibirapuera, in São Paulo, will see the third chapter of a rivalry between two of the biggest names in the history of the sport: Vitor belfort e Dan Henderson.
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The confrontation between the two is tied, with a victory for each side. In the first duel, in 2006, Henderson defeated Belfort by decision of the judges, in the first edition of the now extinct Japanese PRIDE event in the United States. In the rematch, in 2013, Belfort came back and won by knockout in the first round.
However, the third duel takes place in a very different context compared to two years ago. Starting with the weight category, which this time will be middleweight (up to 84 kg), and not light heavyweight (93 kg). Furthermore, the fight on São Paulo soil has the two athletes at very different moments in their careers than what was seen in Goiânia.
In 2013, Belfort was in excellent form, with consecutive knockout victories and very close to fighting for a belt. However, the triumph over Hendo represented a breakthrough for the Brazilian, who has experienced ups and downs outside the Octagon since then.
Testosterone replacement therapy, used by both athletes at the time, was banned from last year. For this reason, Belfort remained idle for a long time, having only fought once since then. In May of this year, visibly weaker, the “Phenomenon” was defeated by Chris Weidman still in the first round, in a fight that put the middleweight belt at stake. Henderson “post-TRT” participated in three fights, with two defeats and one victory.
Therefore, the main fight of UFC FN 77 could represent a serious blow to the defeated athlete. Belfort needs to show the world that he still has “wood to burn” without TRT, so who knows how to start a new run in search of the belt. Henderson, the oldest active UFC athlete, wants to dispel doubts and make it clear that he can compete at a high level at 45 years of age.
MAIN CARD FULL OF ATTRACTIONS
Thomas (photo) will have his fourth fight in the Octagon. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
To the delight of São Paulo fans, the event at Ibirapuera goes far beyond the duel between Belfort and Henderson. The rest of the main card features several interesting fights, whether with top athletes or those still looking for their place in the sun.
In the second most important fight of the night, Glover Teixeira wants to take another step towards fighting for the title against Patrick Cummins. The Brazilian, who is coming off a convincing victory over Ovince St Preux, wants to take away Cummins' unbeaten record in Tupiniquim territory, since the North American defeated him in the country Antonio Shoe Guy e Rafael Feijão.
Furthermore, UFC FN 77 features one of the biggest promises in the bantamweight division. Fighting in your hometown, Thomas almeida seeks to remain undefeated in MMA and obtain his fourth victory in the UFC against Anthony Birchak, who comes from a quick knockout against former title challenger Joe Soto.
jiu-jitsu trainer Vitor belfort, Gilbert Durinho has a tough mission ahead of him: maintain his undefeated record against the very tough Russian Rashid Magomedov, who is coming off two victories on Brazilian soil: he defeated Rodrigo Damm and Elias Silvério last year. Finally, the charismatic Fábio Maldonado faces the TUF 19 champion, Corey anderson.
The preliminary card also promises to entertain the public who arrive at the gym early. Well-known names will enter the scene, such as Gleison Tibau, Clay guida e Thiago tavares, but other fights with less popular athletes should also be busy. Peter Munhoz faces the also promising Jimmie rivera in the second fight of the night, with Yan Cabral facing the tough Johnny Case.
Check out the UFC FN 77 technical sheet below:
DATE AND TIME: 07/11/2015, from 21:30 pm (Brasília time)
PLACE: Ibiraquera Gymnasium, São Paulo
STREAMING: Combat Channel
MAIN CARD
Medium: Vitor belfort x Dan Henderson
Light heavyweights: Glover Teixeira x Patrick Cummins
Roosters: Thomas almeida x Anthony Birchak
Mild: Alex Cowboy x Piotr Hallmann
Mild: Gilbert Durinho x Rashid Magomedov
Light heavyweights: Fabio Maldonado x Corey anderson
PRELIMINARY CARD
Mild: Gleison Tibau x Abel Trujillo
Mild: Yan Cabral x Johnny Case
Feathers: Clay guida x Thiago tavares
Feathers: Kevin Souza x Chas Skelly
Welterweights: Viscardi Andrade x Gasan Umalatov
Roosters: Peter Munhoz x Jimmie rivera
Flies: Bruno Korea x Matheus Nicolau
Hangout SUPER FIGHTS special UFC SP
This Monday (09), starting at 20pm (Brasília time), SUPER LUTAS will hold a special edition of the Hangout, analyzing and debating the UFC Sao Paulo: Belfort x Henderson 3. Watch live on our YOUTUBE CHANNEL!
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