September's UFC Fight Night 51 event in Brasilia adds four bouts
UFC officials recently announced four new additions to September’s UFC Fight Night 51 event in Brazil.
The additions include lightweights Lukasz Sajewski (13-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) vs. Leonardo Santos (12-3-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC), welterweights Sergio Moraes (8-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio (18-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC), welterweights Mike Rhodes (6-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC) vs. Paulo Thiago (15-7 MMA, 5-7 UFC), and welterweights Igor Araujo (25-6 MMA, 2-0 UFC) vs. George Sullivan (15-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC).
UFC Fight Night 51, which features a headlining rematch between heavyweights Andrei Arlovski and Antonio Silva, takes place Sept. 13 at Nilson Nelson Gymnasium in Brasilia, Brazil. The entire event streams on UFC Fight Pass.
Sajewski, a 23-year-old UFC newcomer from Poland, is a six-year pro who’s posted nine stoppages (seven submissions) in 13 career wins. He takes on Santos, a 34-year-old who won “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 2″ as a welterweight. After six straight wins, he recently fought lightweight Normal Parke to a majority draw at UFC Fight Night 38.
Moraes, a semifinalist on “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil,†looks his first third straight UFC win following back-to-back submission victories over Renee Forte and Neil Magny. The 31-year-old Brazilian now meets Ponzinibbio, a 27-year-old Argentinian and “TUF: Brazil 2″ semifinalist who recently made his UFC debut and suffered a decision loss to Ryan LaFlare, which snapped a seven-fight winning streak.
Rhodes, meanwhile, was a highly touted addition to the UFC’s welterweight division earlier this year, but the RFA vet has suffered back-to-back losses to Sullivan and Robert Whittaker. The 24-year-old’s job will be on the line against veteran 170-pounder Thiago, a 33-year-old Brazilian who’s lost two straight and four of his past five, all in the UFC.
Finally, the 33-year-old Araujo carries a six-fight winning streak, which includes UFC victories over Ildemar Alcantara and Danny Mitchell, into his matchup with 33-year-old Sullivan, who recently made a successful UFC debut and scored a decision victory over Rhodes for his seventh consecutive win.
The latest UFC Fight Night 51 card now includes:
Andrei Arlovski vs. Antonio Silva
Lukasz Sajewski vs. Leonardo Santos
Sergio Moraes vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
Mike Rhodes vs. Paulo Thiago
Igor Araujo vs. George Sullivan
