Rafael Natal nabbed a contentious split decision from Uriah Hall, but it wasn’t an egregious outcome.
Natal won the second round with an early takedown. Hall did well to close out the round with one of his own, but Natal clearly did more in the second frame to even the fight. It looked like Hall may have done enough in the third, but Natal landed his own offense as well.
Perhaps Hall’s counterstriking style looked like he was backing away and avoiding the fight. It would not be the first time we have seen inept judging. Even still, Natal did enough to at least make it close. This win should not be seen as a robbery, and he should not suffer from the potentially controversial nature of the result.
This is what we learned from the middleweight affair.
What We’ll Remember About This Fight
Was the opening groin kick intentional? Was it inadvertent?
Natal connected with a suspicious inside leg kick that landed flush on the groin on the very first strike of the fight. After all the trash talk between the two fighters, one has to question the intentions behind it. UFC color commentator Joe Rogan was suspicious of it as well and asked for a replay to see the angle of the kick.
It was a curious start to the fight.
What We Learned About Uriah Hall
He still has a ways to go before being called elite.
He had a decent fight but did nothing spectacular. Natal took him down fairly easily in the second round, but most of the credit goes to the Brazilian for timing the level change beautifully. Hall also got clipped by an overhand right.
Losing may have been the best outcome for Hall. He is not ready for the top end of the division, and a win would have forced him into fighting someone in the Top 15.
What We Learned About Rafael Natal
If you thought Natal was going to get knocked out by a quicker athlete, you were wrong. I was right there with you in that thinking, but he proved that he still comes to fight. He took some big shots in the bout and kept coming.
That was impressive. We learned Natal can make us eat crow.
He is tough. He is a grinder. He kept coming forward and making Hall circle away. Natal did what he could to get the fight to the ground. It was a solid performance but nothing to set the world on fire.
What’s Next for Hall?
How about Dan Kelly? Sure.
Kelly was undefeated before Sam Alvey iced him in early May. Hall could do the same thing, but Kelly’s judo background could force Hall to improve his takedown defense as well.
It’s a quality rebound fight, which is what Hall needs.
What’s Next for Natal?
Natal is a solid name in the division but lacks the skill to break through to the next level. He is a good undercard guy who can challenge those on the brink. In other words, he’s a gatekeeper. That is the role he played at UFC 187.
After this win, Natal should return home to Brazil for a fight on home soil. The winner of Ricardo Abreu vs. Jake Collier would be my choice, but any other lower-level middleweight would do the trick. Natal should not be fighting anyone of note after this win.
The UFC can build Natal up just a bit more before putting him against another up-and-comer who has eyes on the Top 10.
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