Rafael Natal - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Not to be confused with Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...

Rafael Natal is a Brazilian

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

professional mixed martial artist

Mixed martial arts

Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

who competes in the middleweight

Middleweight (MMA)

The middleweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:*UFC's & Strikeforce's middleweight division, which groups competitors within 171 to 185 lb...

division. A professional MMA competitor since 2005, Natal mostly fought in the Ring of Combat

Ring of Combat

Ring of Combat is a US-based Mixed Martial Arts organization based in Atlantic City, NJ.. Several Ring of Combat events have aired on HDNet Fights, including ROC XVIII and ROC XXI.- History :...

promotion before joining the Ultimate Fighting Championship

Ultimate Fighting Championship

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...

Background

Natal started Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art, combat sport, and a self defense system that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting...

and was eventually awarded his black belt by 4th degree black belt Vinicius Magalhães

Vinicius Magalhães (Draculino)

Vinicius "Draculino" Magalhães is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fourth degree black belt under Carlos Gracie, Jr. and has been teaching Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for over 18 years. He has instructed mixed martial arts and grappling champions...

. Natal is also a professor (an instructor) at Renzo Gracie's academy in New York, where he trains with Marcio Cruz

Márcio Cruz

Márcio "Pé de Pano" Cruz is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and mixed martial artist. In BJJ, he is a third degree black belt under Carlos Gracie Jr....

and Rafael dos Anjos

Rafael dos Anjos

Rafael dos Anjos is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. Dos Anjos trains out of Evolve MMA in Brazil and Singapore and is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt under Aldo "Caveirinha" Januario de Olivera...

.

Natal's professional MMA career began in smaller shows and he compiled a record of 6–0 - which included a victory over Danillo Villefort

Danillo Villefort

Danillo Villefort is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He is the son of Francisco Silva. Villefort has fought for the UFC, WEC and the IFL...

- before scoring a minor upset victory over Silmar Rodrigo via unanimous decision.

Ring of Combat and Moosin

Natal then joined Ring of Combat

Ring of Combat

Ring of Combat is a US-based Mixed Martial Arts organization based in Atlantic City, NJ.. Several Ring of Combat events have aired on HDNet Fights, including ROC XVIII and ROC XXI.- History :...

and made his promotional debut against Alexandre Moreno at Ring of Combat 23. Natal defeated him via knockout in the first round.

This was followed up by a submission win over Plinio Cruz at Ring of Combat 24, before Natal faced Victor O'Donnell at Ring of Combat 25. Natal lost to O'Donnell via doctor stoppage after round 1.

At Ring of Combat 26, Natal was supposed to fight Sean Salmon

Sean Salmon

Sean Michael Salmon is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes as a light heavyweight...

. However, Salmon had to withdraw and was replaced by Allan Weickert. Weickert was no match for Natal, who picked up the submission victory after a rear naked choke.

Natal then competed in Moosin: God of Martial Arts

Moosin: God of Martial Arts

Moosin: God of Martial Arts was a MMA event held on May 21, 2010 in Worcester, Massachusetts at the DCU Center. The event was promoted by Corey Fischer and Eric "Butterbean" Esch in association with the Korean promotion Moosin...

against The Ultimate Fighter 4 winner Travis Lutter

Travis Lutter

Travis S. Lutter is an American mixed martial artist who won the The Ultimate Fighter 4 reality show. His UFC record, not including his exhibition wins on The Ultimate Fighter 4, is 2–4...

. In a bout dominated by striking, Natal caught Lutter with an uppercut, giving him the knockout victory in the first round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Natal then reportedly signed a deal with Shine Fights. However, in July 2010, Renzo Gracie

Renzo Gracie

Renzo Gracie is a Gracie Barra Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Carlos Gracie Jr. and a former mixed martial arts competitor in the Ultimate Fighting Championship . He is member of the Gracie family of Brazil. He is the son of Robson Gracie, grandson of Carlos Gracie, nephew of Carlos...

announced on his website that Natal had instead signed a four-fight deal with the UFC.

His first opponent was be The Ultimate Fighter alumn Rich Attonito

Rich Attonito

Rich Attonito is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division. Attonito currently fights for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and is best known for his stint on the eleventh season of The Ultimate Fighter. He was a Division 1 wrestler at...

at UFC Fight Night: Marquardt vs. Palhares. Natal lost the bout via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 30–27). Natal was dropped in the first round in the bout with Attonito. He recovered well and even got takedowns but couldn't do enough to win the decision.

Natal was expected to face Jason MacDonald

Jason MacDonald

Jason Anthony MacDonald is a Canadian mixed martial artist who is currently fighting with the Ultimate Fighting Championship as a middleweight. He is also a veteran of the Maximum Fighting Championship and TKO Major League MMA in his native country of Canada...

on December 11, 2010 at UFC 124

UFC 124

UFC 124: St-Pierre vs. Koscheck 2 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 11, 2010 at Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec...

. However, MacDonald would later withdraw and was replaced by newcomer Jesse Bongfeldt

Jesse Bongfeldt

Jesse Bongfeldt is a Canadian professional mixed martial arts fighter. He is a middleweight, and has fought for such organizations as the Ultimate Fighting Championships.-Early Career:...

. The fight was scored a draw by the judges. Natal won the first two rounds 10–9, but two judges scored the third round 10–8 Bongfeldt leading to the majority draw (two 28–28 scores) after 3 rounds. The scorecards were originally announced as a unanimous 30–30 draw, but when copies of the scorecards were distributed, the mistake was corrected.

Natal's next fight was expected to be against Alessio Sakara

Alessio Sakara

Alessio Sakara is an Italian mixed martial artist and boxer, who currently competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's Middleweight Division. Sakara is also a Former World Junior Boxing Contender. He holds notable wins over Elvis Sinosic, Thales Leites, James Irvin.-Background:Sakara was born...

on the UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann

UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann

UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 3, 2011, at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky. The event was broadcast on Versus in the U.S. and Rogers Sportsnet One in Canada...

card but due to injury Natal was replaced by Chris Weidman

Chris Weidman

Chris Weidman is an American mixed martial artist and former collegiate wrestler. He is currently signed as a Middleweight with the UFC. Weidman attended Baldwin high school on Long Island where he was a Nassau County and New York State wrestling Champion...

.

Natal was expected to face Riki Fukuda

Riki Fukuda

Riki Fukuda is a Japanese mixed martial artist who currently fights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship as a middleweight.-Early career:...

on August 6, 2011 at UFC 133

UFC 133

UFC 133: Evans vs. Ortiz was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 6, 2011 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.-Background:...

. However, Fukuda was forced out of the bout due to a knee injury sustained in a car accident and replaced by Costantinos Philippou. When Philippou replaced an injured Alessio Sakara

Alessio Sakara

to fight Jorge Rivera

Jorge Rivera

Jorge Rivera is a basketball player from San Juan, Puerto Rico. He plays in Puerto Rico on the BSN for the Santurce Crabbers and was a member of the 2004 Puerto Rican National Basketball Team that competed at the 2004 Athens Olympics.-References:...

, Natal faced former The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest

The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest

The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest was the seventh season of the Ultimate Fighting Championship produced reality television series The Ultimate Fighter, and premiered on April 2, 2008 on Spike TV, after UFC Fight Night 13...

competitor Paul Bradley instead. Natal defeated Bradley by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28), winning the first and third rounds on all three judges scorecards. In the fight Rafael Natal utilized excellent takedown defense and a constant barrage of low kicks to outpoint his opponent.

Natal is expected to face promotional newcomer Michael Kuiper

Michael Kuiper

Michael Kuiper is a Dutch mixed martial artist, who competes in the middleweight division.-Career:Kuiper comes from a judo background and holds a black belt in the discipline. He made his mixed martial arts debut in February 2009 and defeated his opponent, Ahmed Sultan, with a triangle choke...

on February 4, 2012 at UFC 143

UFC 143

UFC 143 is an upcoming mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The event is expected to take place on February 4, 2012 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Announced bouts:...

Mixed martial arts record

|-
|Win
|align=center|13-3-1
|

Paul Bradley
|Decision (unanimous)
|UFC 133

UFC 133

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
| Draw
|align=center|12–3–1
|

Jesse Bongfeldt

Jesse Bongfeldt is a Canadian professional mixed martial arts fighter. He is a middleweight, and has fought for such organizations as the Ultimate Fighting Championships.-Early Career:...

|Draw (majority)
|UFC 124

UFC 124

UFC 124: St-Pierre vs. Koscheck 2 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 11, 2010 at Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec...

|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Montreal, Quebec
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|12–3
|

Rich Attonito

Austin, Texas

Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|UFC Debut
|-
|Win
|align=center|12–2
|

Travis Lutter

Travis S. Lutter is an American mixed martial artist who won the The Ultimate Fighter 4 reality show. His UFC record, not including his exhibition wins on The Ultimate Fighter 4, is 2–4...

|KO (punches)
|Moosin: God of Martial Arts

Moosin: God of Martial Arts

Worcester, Massachusetts

Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
|Win
|align=center|11–2
|

Allan Weickert

Allan Weickert is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He has recently returned to fighting from a two-year leave from knee surgery....

Atlantic City, New Jersey

Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|10–2
|

Atlantic City, New Jersey

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
|Win
|align=center|10–1
|

Atlantic City, New Jersey

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
|Win
|align=center|9–1
|

Atlantic City, New Jersey

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
|Win
|align=center|8–1
|

Frisco, Texas

Frisco is an affluent city in Collin and Denton Counties in the U.S. state of Texas and a rapidly growing suburb of Dallas. As of the 2010 Census, 116,989 people were living in Frisco up from 33,714 in the previous census. Frisco was the fastest growing city in the United States in 2009, and also...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|7–1
|

Eduardo Telles
|KO (head kick)
|Fury FC 6 - High Voltage
|
|align=center|2
|align=center|2:18
|Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|7–0
|

Brazil

|
|-
|Win
|align=center|6–0
|

Gerson Silva
|Decision
|XFC Brazil
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|5–0
|

Nailson Bahia
|Submission (armbar)
|XFC Brazil
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|1:24
|Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|4–0
|

Danillo Villefort

Danillo Villefort is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He is the son of Francisco Silva. Villefort has fought for the UFC, WEC and the IFL...

|TKO (punches)
|Gold Fighters Championship 1
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|N/A
|Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|3–0
|

Minas Gerais

Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...

, Brazil

Brazil

|
|-
|Win
|align=center|2–0
|

Walter Luis
|Submission (keylock)
|Champions Night 12
|
|align=center|2
|align=center|0:55
|Sao Paulo, Brazil
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|1–0
|

External links

Official UFC Profile

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