Whenever the Ultimate Fighting Championship travel the 4,551 miles to Brazil there is an overwhelming sense of homecoming because when it comes to mixed martial arts Brazil truly is the motherland.
As with all history that dates back that far nobody knows for certain but as far as we know the first mixed fighting sport dates back to Greece with the inception of Pankration in the early Olympic events but Vale Tudo in Brazil popularized the art as far back as the 1930’s and eventually Rorion Gracie took the idea to North America.
While the UFC delivers a much different product than the fighting events that that took place in tents of travelling circuses on a dirt floor in the largest Country in South America 80 years prior, the basic premise remains the same.
Saturday night the UFC makes a triumphant return to the place that’s dubbed ‘the land of happiness’ with a headliner of local hero Vitor Belfort challenging British antihero Michael Bisping at Ibirapuera Arena in Sao Paulo.
Every time the UFC touches down there, it’s a magical atmosphere as every foreigner gets death threats bellowed from thousands in a foreign language and the Brazilian natives get treated like royalty as their countrymen cheer and holler in support of them from bell-to-bell.
As we count the days until we get another special event, let’s take a look at the 5 greatest UFC moments to take place on Brazilian soils.
5. Edson Barboza’s almost decapitates Terry Etim – UFC 142 – January 12, 2012
In the early shades of 2012 unless you had rocks in your head you probably knew that Edson Barboza was something pretty special. The 26-year-old Brazilian hadn’t tasted defeat and was having a fast ascent up the 155-pound ladder when he met up with experienced Brit Terry Etim.
Etim has dedicated his life to getting the ultimate prize for his spoils of war, a UFC championship but instead he will live forever in animated .gif fashion. After getting the better of Etim in the stand-up in the first and second rounds, Barboza put on a show in the third, with a spinning wheel kick that landed perfectly to Etim’s chin.
The Liverpool native was unconscious as soon as the kick landed flush on the chin, before his torso crashed to the canvas in one of the more spectacular finishes to a fight you’ll see in any combat sport.
4. ‘The Spider’ toys with his prey before devouring – UFC 153 – October 13, 2012
Stephan Bonnar was nothing more than a temporary road block for pound-for-pound king and UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. Facing a larger adversary at a new weight-class on short notice and the Brazilian native didn’t just dispatch of Bonnar, he treated him like he was nothing more than a pawn in his greater game.
Proving why he is widely regarded as the greatest fighter to grace the Octagon Silva gave the original Ultimate Fighter cast member an MMA lesson. Toying with Bonnar early and giving him every opportunity to score the huge upset the 185-pound king avoided his offence before eventually finishing him with a nasty knee to the solar plexus and the ground-and-pound that followed was just icing on the cake.
This is the sort of fight that embodies why Silva is regarded by most in the industry as the best fighter to ever live. While Bonnar was hardly the cream of the crop in terms of competition, he served him up every opportunity on a silver platter and he couldn’t hurt him, let alone finish him.
3. The Phenom obliterates The Axe Murderer –UFC Ultimate Brazil – October 16, 1998
The UFC didn’t make a trip to Brazil in the late-nineties because of tradition, they did so because they were being blackballed in North America for the perceived barbaric blood sport and the struggling company visited Brazil & Japan seeking a new home but neither panned out.
Ultimate Brazil is actually a forgotten gem in the UFC tape library with two titles up for grabs and the breakthrough fight for Pedro Rizzo but ultimately this event will always be remembered for rising star Vitor Belfort running over a 22-year-old Wanderlei Silva in a matter of seconds.
The UFC 12 tournament champion wasted no time charging towards Silva and within seconds had the rookie cornered as he unloaded with a string of lightning-fast punches that put Silva’s lights out in less than a minute.
2. Jiu jitsu does work– UFC 153 – October 13, 2012
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in Brazil just generates an unforgettable atmosphere. After getting his arm broken by savvy submission stylist Frank Mir it was uncertain whether the former Pride Fighting Championship’s king would fight again, let alone get his hand raised.
Fuel was added to the fire by his opponent, Dave Herman who proudly boasted that Brazilian jiu jitsu was a myth and that the art Nogueira had practiced for most of his existence was a joke.
Nogueira kicked things up to another level that night, it seemed that his right-hand was magnetized to the Team Quest members chin as he connected time and time again. The American fenced off submission attempts during the fight but eventually when ‘Minotaro’ went belly-down with an armbar he was forced to submit.
The post-fight reaction was like something you’d see in a movie. There wasn’t a person sitting in the entire arena as the 36-year-old MMA pioneer exited with his eyes gushing with tears as he embraced with Anderson Silva who hugged his mentor before going to dummy Stephan Bonnar.
1. Aldo overcomes Mendes, celebrates with the people – UFC 142 – January 12, 2012
Jose Aldo left Brazil as a hot prospect seeking fame and fortune in North America as a cage-fighter. Five years later he returned as a champion at the top of the marquee defending his 145-pound crown against arguably his toughest challenge in Team Alpha Male product Chad Mendes.
The once beaten Brazilian had the partisan crowd behind him as they vociferously booed his American counterpart. Mendes’ wrestling is his bread-and-butter and despite having an improving game he wasn’t ready to get into a kickboxing match with the featherweight kingpin.
Twice Aldo had fenced off the unsuccessful take downs of the California native, on the third attempt Mendes ate a furious, well-timed knee to the chin for his troubles. The punch that followed wasn’t even necessary as Mendes had been put to sleep for the first time in his young career.
Literally seconds after referee Mario Yamasaki jumped in front of Aldo calling an abrupt halt to proceedings Aldo bounced out of the eight-sided cage and leapt into a sea of his countrymen who hoisted him on their shoulders as he surfed holding his flag above his head.
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