The second season of The Ultimate Fighter: Brasil premieres Sunday night on Globo in Brazil (with re-airs available on TUF.tv after) and comes to a close June 8 with a heavyweight showdown between coaches Fabricio Werdum and former interim champion Minotauro Nogueira.That fight -- a rematch of their 2006 bout at PRIDE Critical Countdown Absolute -- will be the five-round main event of the TUF Brasil 2 Finale, airing in the US on FUEL TV.
The two initially met in the quarterfinals of the PRIDE 2006 Open Weight Grand Prix, with a primed "Minotauro” taking on a fairly green “Vai Cavalo” in what was essentially a striker’s duel. The result was a unanimous decision win for the former PRIDE heavyweight champion Nogueira.
Now six years older and eight wins wiser, Werdum has notched victories since then that include a submission upset of Fedor Emeilanenko and a UFC Fight of the Night performance over Roy Nelson. Add a season of tension as leaders of opposing teams on TUF, and the big Brazilians' rematch promises to be an entirely different -- if equally exciting -- fight.
More details on the event, including additional bouts, ticket info, city and venue will be released in the following weeks.