Welcome fight fans to Inside Fights’ live coverage of UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Henderson 2 from Ginasio Nelio Dias in Natal, Brazil. The event is headlined by a five-round light heavyweight bout as Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua and Dan Henderson meet in a rematch of the greatest fight in UFC history. I’m Ryan Frederick and I’ll be handling the coverage of the event. The event kicks off with preliminary bouts on UFC Fight Pass and then the action heads to FOX Sports 1 for the remaining preliminary bouts and the six-fight main card. The action starts at 4:30 PM eastern time.
Check me out on Twitter for more coverage of the event, so strap yourselves in, and as always, enjoy the fights.
NOTE: A fight scheduled between featherweights Diego Brandao and Will Chope was cancelled from the fight card. Chope has been cut from the UFC following news of his being discharged from the Air Force due to assaulting his wife, which was first reported by Bleacher Report. The fight card will continue on with eleven bouts.
Godofredo Pepey (9-3, 1-3 UFC) vs. Noad Lahat (7-0, 0-0 UFC)
Referee: Wernei Cardoso
ROUND 1- We start off the fight card with a featherweight bout as Pepey looks to snap his two-fight losing skid as he welcomes the undefeated Lahat for his UFC debut. Lahat is the betting favorite in this fight. Wernei Cardoso is the referee. Lahat comes out with a combo and Pepey fires back. They are trading shots quickly and Lahat lands a solid right hand. Lahat goes in for a takedown but it is defended against the fence. The crowd chants for Pepey. Lahat with a leg kick. Pepey lands an uppercut and they scramble and Lahat grabs the back and lands a left hand as they break. Pepey looks to land the jab. Lahat lands a quick combo. They clinch and trade knees to the body. Pepey puts Lahat against the fence as they battle. Lahat lands some knees as Pepey tries to land to the body as they break. Lahat with a leg kick. Pepey with a big overhand right and Lahat goes down for a moment but gets back up and they clinch but break quickly. Pepey with a big flying knee and Lahat is out cold! WOW! Big flying knee knockout and the crowd goes wild.
Official Result: Godofredo Pepey def. Noad Lahat by knockout (flying knee) at 2:39 of Round 1
Francimar Barroso (16-3, 1-0 UFC) vs. Hans Stringer (21-5-3, 0-0 UFC)
Referee: Mario Yamasaki
ROUND 1- We are now on FOX Sports 1 for the remaining bouts. Up first is a light heavyweight bout. Barroso looks for his second UFC win as Stringer makes his debut. Barroso is the slight favorite in this bout. Mario Yamasaki is the referee. Barroso starts with a side kick to the body. Stringer lands a left hook. Stringer with a body kick but Barroso grabs the leg and puts Stringer down on the ground. Barroso kicks the legs of Stringer. Barroso looks tentative to go to the ground and Yamasaki orders Stringer to stand. Stringer lands a right hand behind the ear and Barroso goes down and Stringer goes inside his guard. Stringer lands right hands from the top and switches to some elbow strikes. Barroso is opening his guard but Stringer is landing big punches from the top. Stringer lands another elbow and passes to half-guard. More big punches from inside the guard from Stringer. Stringer has solid control on the ground and is staying active as Barroso can do nothing from the bottom. Stringer with body punches and gets pushed off and they get to their feet. Barroso with a body kick and Stringer initiates a clinch against the fence. Stringer gets a trip and they go down for a moment but get up and they break. Stringer with a big right hand. They tie up against the fence once again. Barroso with a knee to the body. Stringer with a knee to the body. Stringer with a standing elbow. Both men battle for underhooks but this round comes to an end. 10-9 Stringer.
ROUND 2- Stringer looks to be the fresher fighter of the two as we start the second round. Barroso comes to the center quickly and lands a leg kick. Stringer fires off his own leg kick but Barroso lands another. They tie up and Stringer pushes Barroso against the fence. Barroso with a knee to Stringer’s body. Stringer with some standing elbows and Barroso reverses positions. Barroso with knees to the legs of Stringer. Stringer reverses and they break. Barroso with a kick to the body and Stringer misses a right hand. They clinch and Stringer fails on a takedown and Barroso ends up on top on the ground. Barroso with some soft body punches. Barroso with some punches from the top. Stringer looks for a push off and they battle to their feet. Stringer has a body lock against the fence. Barroso has some damage under his left eye. Barroso goes for a takedown but it is stopped. Stringer with a knee to the body. They break as Stringer whiffs on a takedown. Stringer gets stopped on a takedown and eats some right hands from Barroso. Stringer with some knees to the thighs and they are broken up by Yamasaki. They trade right hands. Stringer lands a left hand. They trade punches. Stringer misses a big right hand. Barroso is holding his hands really low. Barroso lands a big uppercut. Stringer lands a left hand and we are going to a third round. 10-9 Barroso, 19-19.
ROUND 3- This fight is up for grabs on our scorecard as we head to the final round. Both men are tired. Stringer with an inside leg kick. They trade punches. Stringer with a leg kick but Barroso counters with a left hand. Barroso lands another left hand. Stringer lands a solid combination. Barroso misses a big right hand. Barroso with a body kick. Stringer lands a big right hand and they clinch against the fence. Stringer has wrist control and lands a knee to the thigh. Barroso lands a knee to the body as Stringer lands short left hands and they’re broken up. Stringer with a leg kick. Stringer with another leg kick and they tie up against the fence. Both men are really exhausted. They break the clinch. Stringer fires off a combination. Stringer with a big body kick. Both men land left hands. Stringer with a leg kick and Barroso counters with his own. Barroso just misses a spinning elbow. Barroso goes for a takedown but it is stuffed and they are tied up. Both men battle for underhooks. Barroso gets a trip and the fight goes to the mat. Barroso is in the guard. Stringer lands soft punches from the bottom. Barroso not doing much from the top but lands some body shots. The fight comes to an end. Close third round. 10-9 Stringer, 29-28 Stringer.
Official Result: Hans Stringer def. Francimar Barroso by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Thiago Perpetuo (9-2-1, 1-1 UFC) vs. Kenny Robertson (12-3, 1-3 UFC)
Referee: Herb Dean
ROUND 1- We now move to a welterweight bout. Both men are looking to rebound from losses in their last Octagon appearance. Perpetuo is the slight favorite. Herb Dean is the referee for this fight. Robertson starts with a left hand and a leg kick and a head kick but ends up on his back as Perpetuo is on top. They scramble back to their feet and Roberson has a body lock and gets a takedown and is on top and in the mount. Perpetuo is cut open as Robertson lands big elbows from the top in the full mount. Robertson with more punches from the top. Perpetuo spins and Robertson takes the back and has a rear-naked choke locked in. It is in tight and Perpetuo taps out! Big submission win and impressive performance by Kenny Robertson.
Official Result: Kenny Robertson def. Thiago Perpetuo by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:45 of Round 1
Jussier Formiga (15-3, 1-2 UFC) vs. Scott Jorgensen (14-8, 3-4 UFC)
Referee: Wernei Cardoso
ROUND 1- Time for some flyweight action as both men look to get back into the win column and climb back up the rankings. Jorgensen is the betting favorite. Wernei Cardoso will officiate this bout. Jorgensen starts off with a right hand. They trade punches. They tie up and Formiga goes for a takedown but doesn’t get it. Jorgensen lands a right hand. They tie up and Formiga looks for a trip. Jorgensen lands a right hand. Jorgensen with an uppercut. They tie up but break. Formiga misses a spin kick. Formiga lands a right hand. Jorgensen looks to land a combo but they tie up and break. Formiga lands a left hand. Jorgensen lands a leg kick but Formiga makes him eat a knee. Formiga with a combo. They butt heads and Jorgensen goes down and Formiga takes the back and is looking for a choke. Formiga has a body lock and is still looking for the choke. The crowd is going wild. Formiga has the neck and the choke is locked in and Jorgensen taps out! Big submission win for Formiga and the crowd erupts.
Official Result: Jussier Formiga def. Scott Jorgensen by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:07 of Round 1
Ronny Markes (14-2, 3-1 UFC) vs. Thiago Santos (8-2, 0-1 UFC)
Referee: Mario Yamasaki
ROUND 1- We move to our final prelim. This is a catchweight bout as Markes missed weight for the middleweight limit, weighing in at 190 pounds. They fight regardless and both look to start a new win streak. Markes is the big favorite. Mario Yamasaki is the referee. Both men miss on kicks. Santos with a big liver kick and Markes goes down to the ground. Santos starts firing off big hammerfists and Markes is in a lot of trouble and covering up. It is stopped! Yamasaki stops the fight as Markes ate a ton of hammerfists from Santos. Big win for Santos.
Official Result: Ronny Markes def. Thiago Santos by TKO (strikes) at :53 of Round 1
Rony Jason (13-4, 3-1 UFC) vs. Steven Siler (23-11, 5-2 UFC)
Referee: Wernei Cardoso
ROUND 1- We kick off the main card with a featherweight bout as Jason and Siler both look to rebound from a loss. Jason is the favorite in this fight according to the Vegas odds. Wernei Cardoso will oversee this fight. Siler starts off with an inside leg kick and then one to the body. Siler with another leg kick and then another. Jason with a right hand and then lands another. Siler with a leg kick. Jason fires back with a right hand and Siler counters with a body kick. Siler with a teet kick. Jason lands a big right hand and then knocks Siler out with a left hook! Big finish by Jason though Siler protests the stoppage and is not happy about. Nevertheless, a knockout win for Rony Jason. Replays show a bad stoppage as it was stopped as Siler was looking to land an upkick. He was hurt but recovered quickly.
Official Result: Rony Jason def. Steven Siler by TKO(punches) at 1:17 of Round 1
Michel Prazeres (17-1, 1-1 UFC) vs. Mairbek Taisumov (21-4, 1-0 UFC)
Referee: Mario Yamasaki
ROUND 1- Prazeres takes this fight as an injury replacement for Gleison Tibau. Both men are looking for their second straight win inside the Octagon. Taismov is the slight favorite and Mario Yamasaki is the referee. Taisumov starts with a leg kick and Prazeres fires back with his own leg kick. Prazeres with a big right hand and then lands a big left hook. They tie up and both men land body punches. Prazeres with double underhooks and he gets a big takedown and right into half-guard. Prazeres transitions to full mount. Prazeres tries to move to side control and does and is looking to go north-south. Prazeres looking for a choke but Taisumov scrambles out to his feet. Prazeres clinches up against the fence. Taisumov goes for a trip but Prazeres grabs a body lock. Taisumov grabs the cage to stop a takedown but Prazeres finishes it anyways. Prazeres moves into mount after faking an armbar and lands from the top. Taisumov with some punches from the bottom. Prazeres with more punches from the top and is looking for the arm and an armbar. Taisumov gets Prazeres back into his full guard. Prazeres with some big left hands from the top. Prazeres looks for more hammerfists. Prazeres moves back into mount but Taisumov escapes. Taisumov lands an illegal kick and we have timeout and Mario Yamasaki deducts a point without warning. Back to action but the round ends with nothing happening. 10-8 Prazeres.
ROUND 2- They both quickly go to the center of the Octagon. Prazeres drops Taisumov with a right hand but Taisumov gets up quickly and Prazeres finds himself on his back on the ground. Prazeres goes for a triangle but Taisumov escapes to his feet. Taisumov misses a right hand from a standing position and goes back to the ground for a moment. Yamasaki orders Prazeres to his feet. They trade punches. Taisumov with a spin kick to the body. Taisumov with a left hand. Prazeres shoots in for a takedown but Taisumov grabs the fence to block the takedown. Another point is deducted due to the fence grab as Taisumov was warned earlier about it. Taisumov is down big time and needs a finish now. Prazeres lands a combo as they return to action. Prazeres with a big leg kick and then lands a right hand. They trade right hands and Taisumov ate a big one. Prazeres lands a nice combo against the fence. Taisumov lands a left hook. Taisumov with a big front kick right to the face of Prazeres. Prazeres with a leg kick. Taisumov misses on a combo. Prazeres with a head kick. Round over. 10-8 Prazeres, 20-16 Prazeres.
ROUND 3- Taisumov has to finish this one to get the win. Prazeres with a leg kick but Taisumov counters with a left hand. Prazeres lands a right hand and ducks under a counter looking to drag this fight down. They break the clinch. Taisumov with a front kick. Prazeres shoots in for a takedown but it is defended and they are tied up against the fence. Prazeres with a knee to the head of Taisumov. Prazeres tries to take it down but it is stuffed and Yamasaki warns Taisumov again about fence grabbing and says one more and its a DQ. Taisumov with a knee and then a left hand. Taisumov lands a nice right hand but Prazeres lands a big leg kick. They trade right hands and Prazeres lands a big right hand. They tie up but shake each other off. Taisumov with a left hand. They exchange punches. Prazeres goes for a takedown and gets it after a struggle. Prazeres moves into full mount. Prazeres with some punches but Taisumov pushes him off and they get to their feet. Prazeres with a left hand and then a big right hand. Taisumov grabs the body of Prazeres but is content to give up. Taisumov’s corner is yelling at him about giving up. This fight ends. 10-9 Prazeres, 30-25 Prazeres.
Official Result: Michel Prazeres def. Mairbek Taisumov by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-25)
Fabio Maldonado (20-6, 3-3 UFC) vs. Gian Villante (11-4, 1-1 UFC)
Referee: Herb Dean
ROUND 1- Maldonado has won his last two fights and Villante is coming off a win so one man will find themselves headed back to the loss column. Villante is the betting favorite. Herb Dean is the referee. Villante with a leg kick to start off. Maldonado lands some punches and they tie up and Villante gets the takedown. Villante in side control against the fence. Villante is looking to get into the crucifix position. Maldonado escapes but Villante takes his back quickly. Villante with some left hands from back control and then some knees. Villante with some more punches and knees from the back. Maldonado gets to his feet but is still eating knees to his legs. Villante gets a trip and takedown into side control. Villante moves into the half-guard of Maldonado. Maldonado with a body punch from the bottom. Villante gets into side control. The crowd is not happy about the Brazilian being dominated. Villante looks to posture up but Maldonado is defending nicely on the mat. Villante with some elbows and punches from the top. The crowd still booing. We are going to the second round. 10-9 Villante.
ROUND 2- Villante quickly rocks Maldonado with a left hook. Maldonado lands a left hand. Villante with a leg kick as he is acting patient and not getting suckered into a brawl. Maldonado with a double jab. Both miss on punches. Maldonado with a nice combo. Maldonado lands a nice jab. Villante goes for a takedown and gets a body lock and gets it down for a moment. Villante with some knees to the legs of Maldonado. Villante has the back on the ground and they are scrambling for position. Maldonado with some backward elbows. They get to their feet and Villante lands some big knees and Maldonado is gushing blood. They start to brawl and Maldonado lands some big punches and they tie up. Maldonado with some big body punches and the crowd starts to go wild. Maldonado with some nice punches that land. Maldonado is bleeding badly. Maldonado lands some nice punches. Villante with a big right hand but Maldonado lands a counter jab. Maldonado lands some more combinations to the head and body. Villante goes for a takedown but it is defended. Maldonado with some big body punches. Villante with a leg kick. Maldonado lands a big combo. Maldonado with spme more body punches.Maldonado lands some more big punches as the round ends. 10-9 Maldonado, 19-19.
ROUND 3- We have more of this coming up in round three as this round should decide it. Maldonado comes out with a fast combination. Maldonado lands a left hook. Villante goes for a takedown but Maldonado shakes it off easily. Villante with a head kick. Maldonado with the quick jab. Maldonado with a quick combo. Villante misses on a takedown. Maldonado with a combo to the body. Villante with a leg kick. Maldonado lands a right hand. Villante drops down to take this fight down but Maldonado defends the takedown. Maldonado lands a left hook. Villante is exhausted. Maldonado lands a left hand. Maldonado with a nice combination to the body. Maldonado lands two left hands. Maldonado with a right hand but Villante counters with a big right hand. Maldonado lands a series of punches. Maldonado with a big left hook. Maldonado drops Villante with a punch and thought it might be over but it continues. Villante initiates a clinch and goes for a takedown but it is defended. Maldonado with a big combo and an uppercut. Maldonado with a leg kick. Maldonado with a big combo and Villante misses on a takedown. Maldonado lands some more punches. Maldonado with another big combination. Maldonado lands a big left hook. Maldonado with another big flurry of punches. Villante somehow survived this fight. Fight of the night so far. 10-8 Maldonado, 29-27 Maldonado.
Official Result: Fabio Maldonado def. Gian Villante by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Leonardo Santos (12-3, 1-0 UFC) vs. Norman Parke (19-2, 3-0 UFC)
Referee: Wernei Cardoso
ROUND 1- A battle of TUF winners is up. Santos won TUF: Brazil 2 while Parke won TUF: The Smashes. Both men are on long win streaks that will end tonight. Parke is the favorite. Wernei Cardoso is the referee. Santos starts off with a leg kick. Parke misses a head kick. Parke with a body kick and then a leg kick. Santos with a body kick. They trade punches and clinch but Parke throws Santos off. Parke with a head kick. Parke was poked in his eye and we have a timeout. Parke misses a head kick. Santos with a body kick. Parke with a nice combination. Santos fires off an uppercut and they tie up and Parke pushes the fight against the fence. They break. Santos with a right hand. Parke with a leg kick and then a high kick. Santos with a leg kick. Parke lands a combo. Parke ties up with Santos. Parke with a knee to the leg of Santos. The referee breaks them up. They trade punches. Santos with a body kick. They tie up as Santos goes for a takedown but it is defended by Parke. Parke has Santos’ back against the fence. Parke with a knee to the body. They are broken up and Parke lands a quick left hand. Parke with a head kick and then another and a right hand. They clinch and each land a knee to the body. Parke goes for a takedown but the round ends before he can get it. Close round. 10-9 Parke.
ROUND 2- Parke comes out with leg kicks quickly and lands a couple. Santos lands an uppercut and they tie up. Both men land close punches as Parke puts Santos up against the fence. Parke has the body lock. The referee breaks them away. Both change punches. Parke with a high kick. Santos lands a right hand. Santos goes for a takedown but it is defended. Parke with some knees to the body. Parke picks up Santos for the takedown but Santos grabs the fence. We then have a break and Parke is deducted a point for grabbing the shorts. No warning. Bad call. They fire off punches. Santos with a head kick. Parke pushes Santos against the fence and is looking for the takedown. Parke has the body lock. Parke with some left hands. They break and both start throwing punches. Both land combinations and they clinch and Parke lands some knees and elbows. Parke pushes Santos against the fence. Parke drops down for the takedown but can’t get it. They remain clinched and Parke lands some knees. Parke with some left hands. Parke with an uppercut. Parke takes the back and looks for the takedown to no avail. The round comes to a close. 9-9 Parke, 19-18 Parke.
ROUND 3- Parke comes out aggressive as he probably needs this round. We have it for Parke but both rounds could have been for Santos. Parke pushes Santos against the fence and is landing some punches as Santos is defending the clinch. Parke with some dirty boxing but Santos reverses though Parke reverses back. They are battling for position against the fence. Parke with a knee to the thigh. Parke with some uppercuts. They are broken up by the referee. They clinch back up and Santos lands a knee as Parke lands an uppercut. Parke is looking to take this fight down. Parke with an uppercut and is still going for the takedown. Santos isn’t doing much but defending the tie up. Parke with a knee to the body. Santos tries a trip for separation but no success. Broken up again and they clinch again. They both start firing punches and Parke lands the left hand nicely. They clinch again and Parke goes back looking for the takedown. Parke with some knees to the thigh. Parke grabs the back and lands some knees. Parke picks him up but can’t get the takedown. Parke tries one last time for the takedown but the fight ends. 10-9 Parke, 29-27 Parke.
Official Result: Leonardo Santos vs. Norman Parke ends in a majority draw (29-27 Santos, 28-28, 28-28)
Cezar Ferreira (7-2, 3-0 UFC) vs. C.B. Dollaway (13-5, 7-5 UFC)
Referee: Mario Yamasaki
ROUND 1- Ferreira won TUF: Brazil and is looking to remain undefeated in the UFC. Dollaway is coming off a loss to Tim Boetsch that many thought he won. Ferreira is the favorite. Mario Yamasaki is the referee. Ferreira fights as a southpaw. Ferreira fires off a combo quickly and a head kick. Dollaway backs Ferreira up with a right hand. Ferreira lands a big combo but Dollaway counters with a left hook that drops Ferreria. Dollaway fires off punches on the ground and this fight has been stopped! Big TKO win for Dollaway and Ferreira has suffered his first UFC loss.
Official Result: C.B. Dollaway def. Cezar Ferreira by TKO (punches) at :39 of Round 1
Mauricio Rua (22-8, 6-6 UFC) vs. Dan Henderson (29-11, 6-5 UFC)
Referee: Herb Dean
ROUND 1- Time for the main event and rematch of one of the greatest fights in UFC history. Rua is looking for two straight wins while Henderson looks to end a three-fight losing streak. Rua is a slight favorite but a lot of late money has come in on Henderson so maybe something is up with Rua. Herb Dean is the referee. Rua lands a leg kick and Henderson counters with a right hand. Rua with another leg kick. Henderson with an inside leg kick. Rua with a leg kick. Henderson with a right hand as Rua covers up. Rua with a leg kick. Another inside leg kick from Rua. Henderson with a body punch. Rua with a body kick. They clinch for a moment and Henderson lands an uppercut on the break. Henderson with a leg kick. They tie up and Rua lands a knee to the body and they break. They trade inside the pocket. Rua with a leg kick. Henderson fakes a takedown. Henderson misses a big right hand. Rua with a leg kick. Henderson with the jab. Henderson rushes in and Rua lands a knee to the body. They clinch against the fence but break to the center. Rua with a leg kick. They trade and Henderson drops Rua with a left hook. Rua then drops Henderson with a left hand and is landing lots of punches. Henderson in trouble but he survives. Rua drags Henderson down and lands more punches. Henderson was in a lot of trouble but survives. 10-9 Rua.
ROUND 2- Rua lands the jab to start the second round and follows with a leg kick. Rua lands a right hand. Henderson just misses the right hand. Rua with a leg kick. They both land left hands. Rua lands a right hand and Henderson returns a right hand. They tie up and Rua has a body lock. Henderson with a knee to the body. They break and Henderson pushes Rua away. Rua with a left hand. They trade punches and Rua lands a body kick. Henderson misses a bad takedown. They tie up for a moment. Rua with a left hand. Rua with a big uppercut that drops Henderson. Rua goes into the guard of Henderson. Rua looking to land from the top but Henderson is blocking the attack and recovering. Rua with an elbow. Rua with a body punch. Henderson is hoping for a stand-up from Herb Dean. Rua with a body punch. They are stood up by Herb Dean. Rua with the jab. Rua with a body kick. Henderson with a leg kick. We go to round three. 10-9 Rua, 20-18 Rua.
ROUND 3- Rua with an inside leg kick. Henderson misses a big right hand. They trade punches and Henderson lands the right hand. They trade jabs. Henderson goes in for a takedown and Henderson drops Rua with a big right hand. Rua grabs a leg and Henderson is landing big hammerfists. Rua is done and Herb Dean stops the fight! Big knockout win for Dan Henderson! Shogun’s nose is busted up badly.
Official Result: Dan Henderson def. Mauricio Rua by TKO (punches) at 1:31 of Round 3
MAIN CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 7 PM ET):
Mauricio Rua vs. Dan Henderson
Cezar Ferreira vs. C.B. Dollaway
Leonardo Santos vs. Norman Parke
Fabio Maldonado vs. Gian Villante
Michel Prazeres vs. Mairbek Taisumov
Rony Jason vs. Steven Siler
PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 5 PM ET):
Ronny Markes vs. Thiago Santos
Jussier Formiga vs. Scott Jorgensen
Thiago Perpetuo vs. Kenny Robertson
Francimar Barroso vs. Hans Stringer
PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 4:30 PM ET):
Godofredo Pepey vs. Noad Lahat
