The Arena Jaraguá in Jaraguá do Sul, Brazil was home to UFC on FX 8 this past Saturday evening.
The main card which aired on FX in the United States and Sportsnet One in Canada featured four fights.
The main event and co-main event delivered in exciting fashion, but the main card opened with two bouts that left fans wanting more.
Check out how I graded the fights below.
Vitor Belfort vs. Luke Rockhold
Grade – C+
In the main event Vitor Belfort continued on his winning ways with a sweet spinning back-kick that knocked Luke Rockhold flat on his back. “The Phenom” followed up with some serious ground and pound which forced referee Leon Roberts to stop the fight. Belfort looked excellent in the match-up and his performance alone would have garnered an A or at the lowest a B+, but the fight overall was nothing spectacular and for that it only got a C+ in my books.
Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza vs. Chris Camozzi
Grade – B
The UFC jitters didn’t seem to phase the former Strikeforce middleweight champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. It didn’t take long for Jacare to get the fight to the mat and when he did he imposed his will on Chris Camozzi. Even though Camozzi held his own for quite some time, the submission ace in Souza slithered his way into a very tight arm-triangle choke which put Camozzi to sleep and had Mario Yamasaki pull him off his unconscious opponent. A UFC debut that showcased his submission skills gave this match-up my highest grade on the main card with an above average B.
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Evan Dunham
Grade – C+
The first round of this match-up had dos Anjos claiming stake, but in the last minute Dunham grabbed a leg-kick which put him in top position to ride out the rest of the round. An aggressive second round for Dunham attempting numerous takedowns, but none were very successful. Both men landed big blows and the round ended in very close fashion. Again both men threw bombs til the final bell sounded, but in the end dos Anjos’ hand was raised winning a unanimous decision. It was highly controversial and fans were going crazy on Twitter. Not only fans, but UFC President Dana White even made it clear that “Dunham got ROBBED!!!!”
Rafael Natal vs. Joao Zeferino
Grade – C
Almost the entire first round was fought on the ground in the 50/50 position with both combatants looking to gain the upper-hand leg in that department. The second and third rounds were what ended up winning the fight for Natal, as he landed numerous takedowns which scored the fight in favor of him on all three judges scorecards. A very dull match-up to start the FX portion of the fight card left me wanting more and giving this fight a C, but in all honesty it could have been much lower.
