The second episode of The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3 started right where the debut edition of the season left off, with the preliminary bouts.
With eight fights left – divided evenly between the heavyweight and middleweight divisions, the first fighters to take the cage were Richardson Moreira and Alexandre Machado, two 29-year-old heavyweights with identical 7-1 records.
The fight itself didn’t last long as Moreira fought aggressively from the sound of the opening horn, charging after Machado with a barrage of punches, eventually pinning him against the cage and obtaining the finish with a flurry of lumbering rights.
Up next was a middleweight matchup between Guilherme de Vasconcelos (3-1) and Markus Perez (3-0). Vasconcelos forced Perez to tap out to a rear-naked choke midway through the first frame after ending up on top following a grappling scramble early on in the period.
What followed was a fight between two of the more notable heavyweight contestants on the show. Marcos Rogerio de Lima (11-2), a usual customer at 205 pounds that lost a decision to Mike Kyle in Strikeforce, took on Thiago Santos (11-3, 1 NC), a former Bellator tournament finalist. Rogerio ended the fight early by defending a charging takedown attempt from Santos with a guillotine choke that elicited a tap.
The most unusual ending to a fight on the episode took place in the fight when Pedro Paulino (3-0) dislocated his finger in the first round of his middleweight fight with Ismael de Jesus (9-4), ceased fighting, and began screaming in pain. Although his finger was put back in place, Paulino was unable to continue since the fight was stopped due to an injury.
Antonio Branjao (3-0) showcased his grit in the next fight, a heavyweight contest against Fernando Ribas (4-1). After being taken down and dominated on the ground in the first round, Branjao came out determined in the second, scoring with a takedown, passing to full mount, and punishing Ribas with ground and pound until the fight was called.
The first decision of the episode went to Warlley Alves (6-0) who won a split decision over fellow middleweight contestant Wendell Oliveira (23-7). Following two back-and-forth rounds, Alves took control in the sudden victory round and won on two of the judges’ scorecards.
In the last middleweight bout of the preliminary round, Marcio Junior (12-0), nicknamed Lyoto after his similar style to current UFC middleweight Lyoto Machida, submitted Guiliano Arante (5-1) in the second round with a guillotine choke.
And in the preliminary round’s final fight, Vitor Miranda (9-3) knocked out Bruno Silva (9-5) late in the second round with a head kick after controlling the entire fight with his striking.
The eight heavyweights to advance to the house were Vitor Miranda, Antonio Branjao, Marcos Rogerio de Lima, Richardson Moreira, Job Kleber, Jollyson Francisco, Edgard Castaldelli, and Antonio Carlos Jr.
As far as the middleweights go, Marcio Junior, Warlley Alves, Ismael de Jesus, Guilherme de Vasconcelos, Paulo Costa, Joilton Santos, Wagner Silva, and Ricardo Abreu have advanced to the next round of the competition.
The first signs of drama between Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva took place at the end of the episode. With all the fighters lined up to be picked by both coaches, Silva demanded that Sonnen apologizes for his disparaging comments about Brazil that me had in the lead-up to his fight with Anderson Silva.
Sonnen didn’t apologize, so Silva offered up the ultimatum that he would quit the show if Sonnen refused to apologize. Despite Silva’s persistence, Sonnen didn’t offer an apology, and the episode ended with a frustrated Silva walking out of the gym.