A middleweight matchup has been confirmed for the upcoming UFC 133 event between Rafael “Sapo” Natal (12-3-1) and Riki “Killer Bee” Fukuda (17-5).
MMAWeekly.com confirmed a report from Tatame.com.br on Thursday, with a source close to the fight that both men were in talks to meet at the upcoming Philadelphia event.
UFC 133 hasn’t been made official, but the event is expected to take place on August 6 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
“Sapo” is 0-1-1 in his two UFC appearances, fighting Canadian Jesse Bongfeldt to a majority draw at UFC 124 last December. He had been scheduled to face another Canuck, Jason MacDonald, but was given Bongfeldt when “The Athlete” was forced to pull out. Natal made his UFC debut in September in Austin, Texas, losing a unanimous decision to Rich Attonito at UFC Fight Night 22.
Fukuda is a former DEEP middleweight champion who signed with the UFC last fall. The Japanese fighter made his debut in Australia at UFC 127, losing a controversial unanimous decision to Canadian Nick Ring. Dana White felt so strongly about the controversy that he said (via Twitter) he’d award Fukuda his “Win Bonus” despite the loss.