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UFC Fortaleza
UFC Fight Night 106

Something Old, Something New – UFC Fortaleza

In this week’s Something Old, Something New we look ahead to UFC Fortaleza or UFC Fight Night 106 from the Olympic Training Centre in Fortaleza, Brazil where Brazilian MMA icon Vitor Belfort will face Kelvin Gastelum in a big middleweight main event. The rest of the card sees at least one Brazilian in each bout which is bound to please the rabid fans in attendance.

This week we bring you a short edition of SOSN as with no familiar faces returning from significant layoffs or periods of inactivity, the spotlight falls on two highly rated Brazilian fighters who will make their UFC debuts in front of their home fans in Fortaleza this weekend.

Davi Ramos (6-1) – Welterweight

Already an esteemed and decorated grappler, Davi Ramos enters his UFC debut on short notice against Sergio Moraes and will attempt to make his name in MMA like he has already done so in the world of BJJ.

Ramos is a high level black belt in BJJ and has been competing in and winning grappling tournaments the world over for the best part of a decade. This includes his crowning glory when he became the 2015 Abu Dhabi Combat Club champion before returning to MMA in 2016 after two years away from the sport.

Making his debut in 2010, Ramos would fight sporadically and would put together a run of four straight wins before a loss to David Rickles on his promotional debut at Bellator 130 would result in the Brazilian taking a break from the sport.

On his return in 2016, Ramos beat Mike Flach at RFA 42 before successfully defeating Alliance MMA prospect Nick Piedmont at Phoenix FC 1 to capture their vacant Lightweight title.

Now stepping up to welterweight to face Moraes in Fortaleza, the Team Nogueira product will be small for the weight class at only 5’8″ and a move back down to lightweight could be on the cards in the future.

 

Paulo “Borrachinha” Henrique Costa (8-0) – Middleweight

Having previously appeared on TUF Brazil 3, “Borrachinha” makes his return to the UFC to make his official debut in Fortaleza against South African Garreth McLellan.

Making his debut in 2012 on the Brazilian regional scene, Costa would quickly build his reputation on the back of his fearsome knockout record and has beat all of his opponents in the first round by KO or TKO.

Having fell short in the TUF house, losing in the quarterfinals of the Middleweight tournament to eventual finalist Marcio Alexandre Junior, Costa would return home to Brazil. He would defeat UFC veteran Wagner Silva before joining up with top Brazilian promotion Jungle Fights.

Having faced some top regional opposition including Eduardo Ramon and Adriano Balby, the 25-year-old is currently Jungle Fight’s middleweight champion after winning the vacant belt in May 2015 over the aforementioned Ramon.

Costa will face one of his biggest tests to date when he steps into the cage to face McLellan in Fortaleza however there is high hopes for the young Brazilian and he is sure to put on a high-level technical striking display regardless of the outcome.