UFC Fight Night 28 Aftermath: Glover Teixeira Clinches LHW Title Shot, And a Gator Moves to the Top of the Food Chain

(Event recap via YouTube.com/UFC)

Our decision to only liveblog the UFC Fight Night 28 matches that we cared about turned out to be a wise choice. Though last night’s supporting card had its moments — particularly Piotr Hallmann’s comeback submission win over Francisco Trinaldo, and the Fight of the Night-winning battle between Rafael Natal and Tor Troeng — the UFC’s latest trip to Belo Horizonte didn’t turn into a terrifying orgy of violence until the last three bouts, which all ended the exact same way: A stiff knockdown, some nasty ground-and-pound, and an impressive first-round TKO for the favorite. Let’s start at the top and work our way down.

Of the three first-round maulings on the main card, only Glover Teixeira faced real adversity on his way to victory. During his main event fight against Ryan Bader, the Brazilian light-heavyweight phenom had to collect his bearings after getting wobbled in a striking exchange. Bader smelled blood and tried to go in for the kill, but his aggression turned out to be his undoing. As Bader swarmed with punches, Teixeira tucked his chin and landed a cross/hook combo that sent Bader to the mat. Teixeira followed with shots from above, and that’s all it took to secure his 20th consecutive victory (!) and a $50,000 Knockout of the Night bonus.

After the fight, it was confirmed that Teixeira (now 5-0 in the UFC) would receive the next light-heavyweight title shot against the winner of Jon Jones vs. Aexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 later this month. His performance last night might not have impressed everyone — rumor has it that Teixeira was recovering from a bad weight cut — but anybody with that kind of power and resilience is always a threat.

The second-biggest story of night had to be Ronaldo Souza‘s official arrival as an elite UFC middleweight. Since his Strikeforce title-fight loss to Luke Ruckhold two years ago, “Jacare” has sliced through lower-level competition (Bristol Marunde, Derek Brunson, Ed Herman, Chris Camozzi) with relative ease. Finally, he got a chance to prove himself against a longtime UFC contender, and he rose to the occasion, crushing Yushin Okami with an overhand right midway through the first round. Yes, Ronaldo Souza has “fallen in love with his hands,” so to speak. But unlike other jiu-jitsu aces like Demian Maia who have tried to re-invent themselves as strikers, Souza hasn’t looked the least bit uncomfortable turning his recent bouts into kickboxing matches. He’s as natural at striking as he is at grappling, and that’s a terrifying thought for the rest of the UFC’s 185-pounders. Jacare has chewed his way to the top of the middleweight food chain, and the possibilities in front of him are endless.


(Event recap via YouTube.com/UFC)

Our decision to only liveblog the UFC Fight Night 28 matches that we cared about turned out to be a wise choice. Though last night’s supporting card had its moments — particularly Piotr Hallmann’s comeback submission win over Francisco Trinaldo, and the Fight of the Night-winning battle between Rafael Natal and Tor Troeng — the UFC’s latest trip to Belo Horizonte didn’t turn into a terrifying orgy of violence until the last three bouts, which all ended the exact same way: A stiff knockdown, some nasty ground-and-pound, and an impressive first-round TKO for the favorite. Let’s start at the top and work our way down.

Of the three first-round maulings on the main card, only Glover Teixeira faced real adversity on his way to victory. During his main event fight against Ryan Bader, the Brazilian light-heavyweight phenom had to collect his bearings after getting wobbled in a striking exchange. Bader smelled blood and tried to go in for the kill, but his aggression turned out to be his undoing. As Bader swarmed with punches, Teixeira tucked his chin and landed a cross/hook combo that sent Bader to the mat. Teixeira followed with shots from above, and that’s all it took to secure his 20th consecutive victory (!) and a $50,000 Knockout of the Night bonus.

After the fight, it was confirmed that Teixeira (now 5-0 in the UFC) would receive the next light-heavyweight title shot against the winner of Jon Jones vs. Aexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 later this month. His performance last night might not have impressed everyone — rumor has it that Teixeira was recovering from a bad weight cut — but anybody with that kind of power and resilience is always a threat.

The second-biggest story of night had to be Ronaldo Souza‘s official arrival as an elite UFC middleweight. Since his Strikeforce title-fight loss to Luke Ruckhold two years ago, “Jacare” has sliced through lower-level competition (Bristol Marunde, Derek Brunson, Ed Herman, Chris Camozzi) with relative ease. Finally, he got a chance to prove himself against a longtime UFC contender, and he rose to the occasion, crushing Yushin Okami with an overhand right midway through the first round. Yes, Ronaldo Souza has “fallen in love with his hands,” so to speak. But unlike other jiu-jitsu aces like Demian Maia who have tried to re-invent themselves as strikers, Souza hasn’t looked the least bit uncomfortable turning his recent bouts into kickboxing matches. He’s as natural at striking as he is at grappling, and that’s a terrifying thought for the rest of the UFC’s 185-pounders. Jacare has chewed his way to the top of the middleweight food chain, and the possibilities in front of him are endless.

Meanwhile in the flyweight division, Joseph Benavidez looked every bit the 6-1 favorite he was going into his fight against Jussier “Formiga” Da Silva, who simply didn’t show up for this one. Benavidez was the aggressor from the opening bell, measuring his opponent with strikes, sticking-and-moving, tagging Formiga at will, while Formiga could only throw game counter-punches, hitting air most of the time. When a punch combination from Benavidez dazed Formiga, the Team Alpha Male standout immediately seized the moment, stuffing a knee into the Brazilian’s ribs, and adding another hook for good measure as he crumpled to the mat. Once on the ground, Benavidez buried Formiga in ground-and-pound until the ref intervened. With three straight wins since his flyweight title-fight loss to Demetrious Johnson last September, is it time for Johnson vs. Benavidez 2? Fun fact: Team Alpha Male has gone 17-0 since Duane Ludwig’s arrival as coach, proving once again that marijuana does in fact help you study better.

UFC Fight Night 28 Quick Results:

FOX SPORTS 1 MAIN CARD

Glover Teixeira def. Ryan Bader via TKO, 2:55 of round 1

Ronaldo Souza def. Yushin Okami via TKO, 2:47 of round 1

Joseph Benavidez def. Jussier Formiga via TKO, 3:07 of round 1

Piotr Hallmann def. Francisco Trinaldo via submission (kimura), 3:50 of round 2

Rafael Natal def. Tor Troeng via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28)

Ali Bagautinov def. Marcos Vinicius via TKO, 3:28 of round 3

FOX SPORTS 1 PRELIMS

Kevin Souza def. Felipe Arantes via split-decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)

Lucas Martins def. Ramiro “Junior” Hernandez via technical submission (rear-naked choke), 1:10 of round 1

Elias Silverio def. Joao Zeferino via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28)

Ivan Jorge def. Keith Wisniewski via unanimous decision (29-28 x 2, 30-27)

FACEBOOK PRELIM

Sean Spencer def. Yuri Villefort via split-decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

BONUSES ($50,000 each):
– Fight of the Night: Rafael Natal vs. Tor Troeng
– Knockout of the Night: Glover Teixeira
– Submission of the Night: Piotr Hallmann

UFC Fight Night: Teixeira vs. Bader — Liveblogging the Fights You Actually Care About


(Dana White isn’t there. Joe Rogan isn’t there. Arianny and Brittney aren’t there. But if you’re the Veteran Voice of the Octagon, you grab a polo shirt out of the hamper and show the hell up. It’s called integrity, okay? Hippofan knows what I’m talking about. / Photo via MMAJunkie)

Ali Bagautinov. Marcos Vinicius. Tor Troeng. Piotr Hallman. The people of Belo Horizonte don’t care about these dudes, and neither do we, to be honest. So we’re going to try something a little different for tonight’s liveblog of UFC Fight Night 28, and only run play-by-play for the three fights on this card that are worth liveblogging: Joseph Benavidez‘s meeting with Brazilian flyweight contender Jussier “Formiga” da Silva, the middleweight co-main event between Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Yushin Okami, and the light-heavyweight headliner between Glover Teixeira and Ryan Bader.

Live round-by-round results for those fights will be located after the jump starting around 8 p.m. ET-ish. We’ll also post quick results from the supporting card beforehand. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and if you’re watching along with us on FOX Sports 1, use the comments section to let us know how you feel.

(Dana White isn’t there. Joe Rogan isn’t there. Arianny and Brittney aren’t there. But if you’re the Veteran Voice of the Octagon, you grab a polo shirt out of the hamper and show the hell up. It’s called integrity, okay? Hippofan knows what I’m talking about. / Photo via MMAJunkie)

Ali Bagautinov. Marcos Vinicius. Tor Troeng. Piotr Hallman. The people of Belo Horizonte don’t care about these dudes, and neither do we, to be honest. So we’re going to try something a little different for tonight’s liveblog of UFC Fight Night 28, and only run play-by-play for the three fights on this card that are worth liveblogging: Joseph Benavidez‘s meeting with Brazilian flyweight contender Jussier “Formiga” da Silva, the middleweight co-main event between Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Yushin Okami, and the light-heavyweight headliner between Glover Teixeira and Ryan Bader.

Live round-by-round results for those fights will be located after the jump starting around 8 p.m. ET-ish. We’ll also post quick results from the supporting card beforehand. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and if you’re watching along with us on FOX Sports 1, use the comments section to let us know how you feel.

Quick results…

FOX SPORTS 1 MAIN CARD (7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT)

Glover Teixeira def. Ryan Bader via TKO, 2:55 of round 1

Ronaldo Souza def. Yushin Okami via TKO, 2:47 of round 1

Joseph Benavidez def. Jussier Formiga via TKO, 3:07 of round 1

Piotr Hallmann def. Francisco Trinaldo via submission (kimura), 3:50 of round 2

Rafael Natal def. Tor Troeng via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28)

Ali Bagautinov def. Marcos Vinicius via TKO, 3:28 of round 3

FOX SPORTS 1 PRELIMS

Kevin Souza def. Felipe Arantes via split-decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)

Lucas Martins def. Ramiro “Junior” Hernandez via technical submission (rear-naked choke), 1:10 of round 1

Elias Silverio def. Joao Zeferino via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28)

Ivan Jorge def. Keith Wisniewski via unanimous decision (29-28 x 2, 30-27)

FACEBOOK PRELIM

Sean Spencer def. Yuri Villefort via split-decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

Alright, let’s do this.

Joseph Benavidez vs. Jussier “Formiga” Da Silva

Round 1: Benavidez measures his distance with front kicks. Benavidez stalks forward and they clash with punches. Benavidez sticks and moves. Formiga trying to play the counter game, with limited success. Benavidez throws a body kick, Formiga fires a hard left hook. Benavidez with a left straight. He throws some punches at the air and fires a high kick that’s blocked. Front kick and punch from Joe. Formiga tries a turning side kick. Benavidez lands hard with a pair of punches and a knee to the body, and Formiga crumples to the mat. Benavidez drops some bombs from the top, and the ref stops it. Excellent performance from Joe B…he was the aggressor the whole time, and seized on the finish at his earliest opportunity.

Joseph Benavidez def. Jussier “Formiga” Da Silva via TKO, 3:07 of round 1.

Yushin Okami vs. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza

Round 1: Okami pawing with the jab. Jacare flashes the front kick. Body kick from Jacare, who shoots to clinch afterwards. Okami shakes out, but Jacare lands a big punch that stuns Okami, then punishes Okami against the fence with a barrage of strikes. Okami looks to be in trouble, but he escapes and they return to the center of the cage. Jacare throws a big overhand right. Okami returns fire. Jacare throws the overhand right again and knocks Okami to the mat. Jacare fires down some nasty right hands from the top and the ref has seen enough. Man, did I pick the right fights to liveblog or what?

Jacare says an injury prevented him from doing his Jacare crawl. So you might as well just watch Jade Bryce do it.

Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza def. Yushin Okami via TKO, 2:47 of round 1.

Glover Teixeira vs. Ryan Bader

Round 1: Bader shoots for a single right away and Teixeira defends it. Bader tries for a guillotine on the mat when Teixeira engages in close. Teixeira defends. They get back to their feet and clinch against the fence. Teixeira considers a guillotine of his own. They separate. Bader fires off some punches, and a high kick as Teixeira tries to close distance on him. Teixeira slips to the mat (or is he staggered?) after Bader launches a punch volley at him. Teixeira gets to his feet but he looks shaky as Bader continues his striking attack. But then Teixeira catches Bader on the chin with a right straight/left hook combo and Bader falls to the mat! Teixeira follows it up with punches from the top and it’s all over. Damn…all three fights ended the exact same way.

Glover Teixeira def. Ryan Bader via TKO, 2:55 of round 1.

“I’m telling you, this belt is gonna be mine,” Glover says. “It doesn’t matter if it’s Jon Jones or Gustafsson, it’s gonna be mine.” He admits to being knocked down by Bader, and says it was due to being overconfident.

Did that performance change your opinion of Teixeira in any way? Is he a future title threat or not? Let us know in the comments, and enjoy the rest of your night…

Watch the ‘UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot’ Weigh-Ins Right Here Starting at 5 p.m. EST [UPDATED w/RESULTS]

Travis Browne, Antonio Silva, Jay Hieron, and all of the players in tomorrow night’s UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot card are set to hit the scales tonight from the Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The event will be broadcast live starting at 5 p.m. EST, and wouldn’t you know it, we happen to have TOTALLY EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE of the weigh-ins right here!

OK, so maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but we will be covering all the action, so make sure to swing by at 5 p.m. today for the staredowns and 8 p.m. tomorrow for all our liveblog coverage of UFC on FX 5.

Travis Browne, Antonio Silva, Jay Hieron, and all of the players in tomorrow night’s UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot card are set to hit the scales tonight from the Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The event will be broadcast live starting at 5 p.m. EST, and wouldn’t you know it, we happen to have TOTALLY EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE of the weigh-ins right here!

OK, so maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but we will be covering all the action, so make sure to swing by at 5 p.m. today for the staredowns and 8 p.m. tomorrow for all our liveblog coverage of UFC on FX 5.

MAIN CARD (FX 8 p.m.)
-Travis Browne (246) vs. Antonio Silva(266)
-Jake Ellenberger (170) vs. Jay Hieron (170)
-John Dodson (126) vs. Jussier Formiga (126)
-Josh Neer (171) vs. Justin Edwards (170)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook/FUEL 5 p.m.)
-Yves Edwards (156) vs. Jeremy Stephens (156)
-Danny Castillo (156) vs. Michael Johnson (156)
-Dennis Hallman ( ) vs. Thiago Tavares ( )**
-Shane Roller (156) vs. Jacob Volkmann (155)
-Diego Nunes (146) vs. Bart Palaszewski (147*)
-Phil Harris (125) vs. Darren Uyenoyama (125)
-Marcus LeVesseur (156) vs. Carlo Prater (156)
-Mike Pierce (171) vs. Aaron Simpson (171)

*Palaszewski has an hour to lose the pound.

**Apparently Hallman was seven pounds over and struck a deal with Tavares that if he could get down to three pounds over the fight would be on. He failed to do so and the fight was cancelled but Tavares will be getting his show money. Well, there goes that bet, and likely Hallman’s UFC career given the fact that he missed weight for his last fight as well and exposed his balls on TV before that. 

J. Jones

UFC Booking Orgy: Demian Maia vs. Rick Story, John Dodson vs. Jussier Da Silva + More


(“Now, Demian! Use the muscle-spasm death touch that I taught you!”)

Demian Maia‘s welterweight debut at UFC 148 was over before it really began, thanks to a poorly timed muscle spasm suffered by Dong Hyun Kim. But the former middleweight title contender will be getting another chance to make an impression against Rick Story. Their bout is scheduled to take place at UFC 153 (October 13th, Rio de Janeiro), a card that is quickly stacking up with top Brazilian talent. Story recently outpointed newcomer Brock Jardine at UFC on FX: Maynard vs. Guida, which snapped a two-fight losing streak against Charlie Brenneman and Martin Kampmann.

Speaking of Brenneman, “The Spaniard” has booked his return fight after being choked out by Erick Silva in June. He’ll be appearing at UFC 151: Jones vs. Henderson (September 1st, Las Vegas) against TUF 11 competitor — and former Crocodile Hunter bodyguardKyle Noke, who is coming off of two losses at middleweight and will be making his welterweight debut.

In other booking news…


(“Now, Demian! Use the muscle-spasm death touch that I taught you!”)

Demian Maia‘s welterweight debut at UFC 148 was over before it really began, thanks to a poorly timed muscle spasm suffered by Dong Hyun Kim. But the former middleweight title contender will be getting another chance to make an impression against Rick Story. Their bout is scheduled to take place at UFC 153: Aldo vs. Koch (October 13th, Rio de Janeiro), a card that is quickly stacking up with top Brazilian talent. Story recently outpointed newcomer Brock Jardine at UFC on FX: Maynard vs. Guida, which snapped a two-fight losing streak against Charlie Brenneman and Martin Kampmann.

Speaking of Brenneman, “The Spaniard” has booked his return fight after being choked out by Erick Silva in June. He’ll be appearing at UFC 151: Jones vs. Henderson(September 1st, Las Vegas) against TUF 11 competitor — and former Crocodile Hunter bodyguardKyle Noke, who is coming off of two losses at middleweight and will be making his welterweight debut.

In other booking news…

– After winning all of his first three UFC appearances, Tristar gym product Francis Carmont will compete on his home turf against Tom Lawlor, at UFC 154: St. Pierre vs. Condit (November 17th, Montreal.) Lawlor is coming off a 50-second Knockout of the Night performance against Jason MacDonald in May.

– The UFC has confirmed more fights for their UFC on FX 5: Browne vs. Bigfoot card (October 5th, Minneapolis). Notably, a heavyweight matchup between Matt Mitrione and Rob Broughton — originally scheduled for this weekend’s UFC on FOX 4 card, until Broughton pulled out due to injury — has been re-set for the UFC on FX 5 lineup. Broughton has dropped consecutive decisions to Travis Browne and Phil De Fries, while Mitrione will try to bounce back from his decision loss to Cheick Kongo at UFC 137. And on the other end of the fighter-size spectrum, TUF 14 bantamweight winner John Dodson will make his latest flyweight appearance against much-hyped newcomer Jussier da Silva, in a match that could very well produce the #1 contender in the 125-pound division.

Please direct your predictions to the comments section.

Vinny Magalhaes Returns to Zuffa’s Tender Embrace at UFC 151


(The super absorbent Shampow belt currently sells for $19.95, but if you call within the next ten minutes, because we can’t do this all day, we’ll throw in a baby for just the price of shipping and handling.) 

It has been a very frustrating couple of years for M-1 Light Heavyweight champion and TUF 8 finalist Vinny Magalhaes. After winning the M-1 belt with a mounted gogoplata submission over Victor Nemkov in April of 2011, then defending it with a head kick TKO of Mikhail Zayats the following October, Magalhaes found himself in a bit of contract limbo with the well documented shysters at M-1. In short, they refused to offer him any more fights under his current contract while simultaneously trying to ink him a new one. Like we said, shysters.

Anyway, after nearly a year on the shelf, Magalhaes got desperate. So desperate, in fact, that he tried selling his belt on Ebay, which was valued at an astounding $99,999 before it was suddenly pulled off the market for reasons that have yet to be explained. However, it appears that Vinny has finally reached an agreement (re: his mercifully release) with his M-1 counterparts, as word has broke that the champ, who has gone 7-1 since being ousted from the UFC following a pair of losses to Ryan Bader and Elliot Marshall, will return to the sport’s highest promotion at UFC 151, which goes down from the Mandalay Bay in Vegas on September 1st. His opponent has yet to be named, but Tatame has the scoop:

Vinny “Pezao” Magalhaes is back to the UFC. The light heavyweight, who lost to Ryan Bader on the TUF 8 Finale, signed a contract with the organization and is set to fight at UFC 151, on September 1st, TATAME learned with sources.

Videos of Magalhaes’ title win and defense await you after the jump, along with the skinny on a potential signing in the UFC’s flyweight division.


(The super absorbent Shampow belt currently sells for $19.95, but if you call within the next ten minutes, because we can’t do this all day, we’ll throw in a baby for just the price of shipping and handling.) 

It has been a very frustrating couple of years for M-1 Light Heavyweight champion and TUF 8 finalist Vinny Magalhaes. After winning the M-1 belt with a mounted gogoplata submission over Victor Nemkov in April of 2011, then defending it with a head kick TKO of Mikhail Zayats the following October, Magalhaes found himself in a bit of contract limbo with the well documented shysters at M-1. In short, they refused to offer him any more fights under his current contract while simultaneously trying to ink him a new one. Like we said, shysters.

Anyway, after nearly a year on the shelf, Magalhaes got desperate. So desperate, in fact, that he tried selling his belt on Ebay, which was valued at an astounding $99,999 before it was suddenly pulled off the market for reasons that have yet to be explained. However, it appears that Vinny has finally reached an agreement (re: his mercifully release) with his M-1 counterparts, as word has broke that the champ, who has gone 7-1 since being ousted from the UFC following a pair of losses to Ryan Bader and Elliot Marshall, will return to the sport’s highest promotion at UFC 151, which goes down from the Mandalay Bay in Vegas on September 1st. His opponent has yet to be named, but Tatame has the scoop:

Vinny “Pezao” Magalhaes is back to the UFC. The light heavyweight, who lost to Ryan Bader on the TUF 8 Finale, signed a contract with the organization and is set to fight at UFC 151, on September 1st, TATAME learned with sources.

Videos of Magalhaes’ title win and defense await you after the jump, along with the skinny on a potential signing in the UFC’s flyweight division.

Magalhaes vs. Nemkov finish 

Magalhaes vs. Zayats (finish comes at 15:33) 

Although you’ve gotta imagine that Vinny will fare much better in the UFC his second time around, based on the evidence, do you think we may very well be looking at a contender to Jon Jones’ (or possibly Dan Henderson’s) throne?

And speaking of hot prospects, rumor has it that inaugural/former Tachi Palace Fights flyweight champion and current bantamweight champion Ulysses Gomez has signed with the UFC as well. The rumor was started by none other than the man himself, who Tweeted/retweeted the following:

Yeah I’m down! RT @IridiumSports@seanshelby Just got done talking to @uselessgomez, he’ll sign today to fight Formiga in Brazil…

Currently 9-2 in professional competition, Gomez is a submission specialist who most recently earned said bantamweight belt with a third round submission via guillotine over Cody Gibson last December. Gomez joins such prospects as Gunnar Nelson and Tom Watson to have recently signed with the UFC, and will make for a great addition to the UFC’s compact but stacked flyweight division.

And if you’re wondering who the mysterious “Formiga” is that UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby is referring to in that tweet, it would be none other than Jussier “Formiga” da Silva, a 14-1 Jiu-Jitsu powerhouse and fellow TPF veteran that is currently the #2 ranked flyweight in the world according to Sherdog (that is, if you believe in the “bullshit rankings system” created by the Jewish MMA media with the sole purpose of pissing off Josh Koscheck). It was announced that da Silva signed with the UFC just a few days ago, and it’s not looking like he will be given a walk in the park for his big debut.

J. Jones

UFC Beefs Up Flyweight Division with Signing of Jussier da Silva

With the flyweight tournament set to wrap up at UFC 152, and Ian McCall so desperate for someone to fight at flyweight that he’s resorted to calling out Louis Gaudinot, this announcement could not have possibly come at a better time. Yesterday, the manager of Shooto South American Bantamweight champion (123 lbs in Shooto) Jussier da Silva announced that “Forminga” has just signed on with the UFC.

As of now, neither a date for his first UFC bout nor an opponent for his debut have been announced.

Currently the number three ranked flyweight in the world, Da Silva is a fierce grappler with seven submission victories to his record. “Forminga” started off his career winning six straight fights and capturing Shooto South America’s Bantamweight Championship before pulling off a huge upset over then-Shooto Bantamweight World Champion Shinichi “BJ” Kojima in 2009. The only loss on his record, which currently stands at 14-1, came at the hands of the aforementioned Ian McCall at Tachi Palace Fights 8: All or Nothing last February. His most recent outing was a first round rear-naked choke over Sidney Oliveira in June.

Highlights from Jussier da Silva’s career await after the jump.

With the flyweight tournament set to wrap up at UFC 152, and Ian McCall so desperate for someone to fight at flyweight that he’s resorted to calling out Louis Gaudinot, this announcement could not have possibly come at a better time. Yesterday, the manager of Shooto South American Bantamweight champion (123 lbs in Shooto) Jussier da Silva announced that “Formiga” has just signed on with the UFC.

As of now, neither a date for his first UFC bout nor an opponent for his debut have been announced.

Currently the number three ranked flyweight in the world, Da Silva is a fierce grappler with seven submission victories to his record. “Formiga” started off his career winning six straight fights and capturing Shooto South America’s Bantamweight Championship before pulling off a huge upset over then-Shooto Bantamweight World Champion Shinichi “BJ” Kojima in 2009. The only loss on his record, which currently stands at 14-1, came at the hands of the aforementioned Ian McCall at Tachi Palace Fights 8: All or Nothing last February. His most recent outing was a first round rear-naked choke over Sidney Oliveira in June.

Highlights from Jussier da Silva’s career await after the jump.


da Silva vs. Danny Martinez, part one (December 10, 2010)


da Silva vs. Danny Martinez, part two


da Silva vs. Ian McCall, part one (February 18, 2011)


da Silva vs. Ian McCall, part two


da Silva vs Mamoru Yamaguchi (August 5, 2011)


da Silva vs. Michael William Costa (October 29, 2011)


da Silva vs. Rodrigo “Indio” Santos (December 15, 2011)


Hey, the guy has a victory over Ralph Lauren. Seems legit to me.

So, how do you think he will hold up in the UFC?