UFC captures Brazil's attention

After a 13-year absence, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returned to Brazilian soil, caught the attention of the world on Saturday, taking place in Rio de Janeiro's HSBC Arena. The president of the UFC, Dana White, applauded Brazil's reception and attitude towards the league, saying that 14,000 tickets were sold for the event and 20,000 people would be in attendance. White also commended Brazil as being the first country to offer the UFC for free to the viewing public. Normally, the event is only available via pay-per-view. For this reason, White believes that some 40 million Brazilians will watch UFC, helping to spread the sport's popularity throughout the country. Previously in the week, fighters held open-air training sessions on the beachfront of Copacabana beach in an effort to completely gather the attention of the city. Ring girls strolled through the streets and posed for a host of photos, talking to fans and using their sex appeal to attract more spectators' attention. Brazilian athletes, including soccer legend Ronaldo, politicians including Rio de Janeiro's governor Sergio Cabral and a cast of other rich and famous socialites were on hand ringside to watch the event up-close. Brazilian tycoon and billionaire Eike Batista was also attracted to the event, held in the city's posh neighborhood, Barra de Tijuca. Additionally, one of Brazil's mixed martial art legends Royce Gracie was in attendance. Gracie received a standing ovation upon entering the building. The event began with the preliminary card. The night's inaugural fight was made up of Canada's Yves Jabouin who defeated American Ian Loveland by way of the judges' decision. The fight was the only in which a Brazilian athlete was not participating. The ensuing fights saw Yuri Marajo (BRA) defeat Felipe Sertanejo (BRA) by way of a judge's call; Erick Silva (BRA) beat Luis Ramos (BRA) by way of knockout 40 seconds into the first round; Rafael Assuncao (BRA) defeat local fighter Johnny Eduardo by the judges' unanimous decision after three rounds; Paulo Thiago (BRA) defeat David Mitchell (USA) by a judge's call; Rousimar Palhares (BRA) defeat Dan Miller (USA) by the judges' decision and in the last match of the preliminary card, Thiago Tavares (BRA) beat Spencer Fisher (USA) by way of TKO in the second round. In the first match of the main events of the evening, Brazil's Luis Banha Cane lost by way of a TKO in the first round to Bulgaria's Stanislav Nedkov. The Brazilian began the match dominant, but did not capitalize on his larger reach or his height advantage and ended up catching a series of jabs by Nedkov. Once Cane fell to the ground, Nedkov was relentless and only stopped hammering on the Brazilian's head once the referee called the match. The second main event match was between Brazilian legend Rodrigo Minotouro Nogeira and American Brendan Schaub. The experienced Brazilian knocked out the American at the 3:09 mark in the first round, improving his career record to 36-6-1 and 1 no-contest. The following match was between Brazil's Edson Barboza and Britain's Ross Pearson. In one of the night's most aggressively balanced fights, Barboza won on a split decision by the judge's call. The next match saw the long awaited rematch between Brazil's Mauricio Shogun Rua and American fighter Forrest Griffen in the light heavy weight division. In a quick and spectacular fashion, the Brazilian won by way of knockout in the 1:53 mark of the first round, improving his MMA record to 20-5 record. The main event of the night features Brazil's Anderson "the spider" Silva against Japanese rival Yushin Okami. Silva's last loss came in 2006 to none other than Okami. Since then, he has put together an impressive 14-game winning streak, including 8 successful title defenses. Upon entering the ring, Silva received a standing ovation. Okami dominated much of the first round as he pinned Silva against the fence, landing jabs and body shots at will. Silva finally reacted towards the end of the round, landing a roundhouse kick to the back of Okami's neck. Silva returned to the second round much more aggressive, dictating the fight. Silva caught the Japanese fighter in the lower left chin with a right jab, knocking Okami to the ground but choosing not to finish the match. Allowing Okami to his feet, Silva would taunt the fighter and later knock him to the ground again, this time capitalizing on his opponent's weakness and pounding on Okami until the referee ended the match in the 2:04 mark of the second round. Winning by way of TKO, Silva improves his winning streak and maintains as Dana White claims, the best pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC. The UFC is the world's largest growing sport. The talent of mixed martial arts was perfected by Brazil's recently passed Helio Gracie, introducing the world to Jiu-Jitsu. The country produces a plethora of UFC fighters and it is expected to export even more in the coming years.