Luiz Cane (purple trunks) has the experience against top talent and the vicious killer instinct to make Stanislav Nedkov's UFC debut a long night. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
August 27, the UFC returns to the South American country of Brazil for the first time since 1998 for just its second card in the country that spawned many of the organization’s top fighters and champions. As is fitting, the event is headlined by Brazil’s greatest UFC fighter, “The Spider” Anderson Silva (28-4) as he defends his UFC Middleweight Championship against the last man to defeat him, “Thunder” Yushin Okami (26-5). Other notable Brazilians making appearances in their homeland include “Shogun” Mauricio Rua (19-5) who looks to avenge his UFC debut loss against Forrest Griffin (18-6) and “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-6-1) who squares off with TUF alum “The Hybrid” Brendan Schaub (7-1). Lightweights “The Real Deal” Ross Pearson (17-6-1) and the undefeated Edson Barboza (8-0) help round out the card and hard hitting “Banha” Luiz Cane (9-3) opens the festivities against Sengoku warrior Stanislav Nedkov (5-0). The first bout between Cane and Nedkov is one that is a particularly interesting one, especially for hardcore fans. Both men are under-the-radar finishing machines with BJJ black belts and huge stopping power in their hands. Continue reading »
