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Press Release – The first-ever middleweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter Brazil® will now be decided in a three round bout between Cezar Mutante and Serginho (Sergio) Moraes at UFC® 147: Silva vs. Franklin II, on June 23, at the Mineirinho Arena, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Moraes, a semifinalist of the first international edition of the UFC’s reality TV show, was chosen to replace of Daniel Sarafian, who was forced off the card due to an arm injury.
Moraes reached the TUF Brazil semifinals after beating Delson Heleno via submission on the ninth episode of the show. Originally a member of “Team Vitor”, he was moved to “Team Wanderlei” later in the season, squaring off against Daniel Sarafian for the first spot in the middleweight final. Though Sarafian won the bout, everyone was moved by Moraes story, a jiu-jitsu expert who overcame adversity in his personal life. It was this drive and success that made him the perfect choice to replace Sarafian.
The middleweight contestants will square off in the fourth bout of the main card, ahead of a long awaited rematch between TUF Brazil coach Wanderlei Silva and former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin. The main card will also feature the TUF Brazil featherweight final, between Rony Jason and Godofredo Pepey, who along with Moraes and Mutante are competing for a lucrative contract with the UFC.
Seven of the 11 bouts at UFC 147 will feature contestants from the first season of TUF Brazil. Due to the injury and the loss of his opponent, Renee Forte will be unable to fight and will make an appearance on a future UFC card. The complete fight card is pasted below and can be found at UFC.com. All bouts live and subject to change.
UFC 147 Main Card
Rich Franklin vs Wanderlei Silva
Cezar Ferreira (Mutante) vs Serginho Moraes
Rony (Jason) Mariano Bezerra vs Godofredo Pepey
Mike Russow vs Fabricio Werdum
Hacran Dias vs Yuri Alcantara
UFC 147 Preliminary card
Rodrigo Damm vs Anistavio Medeiros
Francisco Drinaldo vs Delson Heleno
Hugo Viana vs John Teixeira
Leonardo Mafra vs Thiago Perpétuo
Wagner Campos vs Marcos Vinicius
Milton Vieira vs Felipe Arantes
With the change on the main card, fans who purchased tickets for the event will now officially have three (3) days to decide whether to seek a full refund.
Episode 13 recap: Mutante KO’s his way into the finale and wins two bonuses
In the final episode of the first season of TUF Brazil, which aired Sunday, June 17, the last middleweight finalist was announced, as well as the season winners of best Fight, Knockout and Submission bonuses. The awards were announced by on-air personality Galvão Bueno.
After knocking out Thiado Bodão, Cezar Mutante secured his place in the middleweight final and a spot on the UFC 147 card.
“What I did was focus on my training and what I was going to do out there. The opportunity presented itself at the right moment and I took it,” said Mutante, who now faces Serginho Moraes Saturday, June 23, at the Mineirinho Arena.
The high kick that took Bodão down in the first round of their battle also assured Mutante of winning the Best Knockout of the season award. The Team Vitor fighter also took home the Raça Forte Fighter prize, given to the contestant who needed the least amount of time to win his fights during the show.
The winner of the best Submission of the Season award was Rony Jason, for the armlock that gave him the win over Anistavio Gasparzinho. The best Fight of the Season award was given to Bodão and Massaranduba, who faced off in a two round battle that took Bodão into the semifinals. Each winner received $45,000 Brazilian Real.
About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®
Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world. In 2011, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which now airs on FX.
In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 149 countries and territories, to nearly one billion homes worldwide, in 20 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with over two million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, the best-selling UFC Undisputed® video game franchise distributed by THQ, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.