UFC 147 Saturday, June 23, 2012 at 10 p.m. (ET) on Pay-Per-View Mineirinho Gymnasium in Belo Horizonte, Brazil Cezar Ferreira (-235) Profile: Vitor Belfort’s first pick and the second selection overall on Brazil’s inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter, Ferreira (4-2) was expected to be in the finals fighting for the coveted title, and he has lived up to expectations and looks to have a bright future in the UFC. With an impressive array of BJJ, and showing extreme KO power in all of his limbs, Ferreira is a force to be reckoned with. Although he lost his last professional bout to Elvis Mutapcic via KO at Superior Cage Combat 2 in August of 2011, the 27-year-old Brazilian has proved his worth in blowing through the competition on TUF, scoring a win via guillotine and an impressive head kick KO of Thiago Perpetuo in the semifinals. Sergio Moraes (+175) Profile: The BJJ black belt from Team Noguiera has multiple BJJ championships to his name and a solid 6-1 resume that includes five submission wins. The lone loss for Moraes came against Bellator middleweight Brett Cooper, who knocked him out with a highlight reel uppercut at Jungle Fight 15. Rebounding from his only blemish, the UFC invited Moraes to TUF Brazil, where he won his two first fights via submission (heel hook and rear-naked choke) before getting eliminated by Daniel Sarafian via knockout. However, fate has given him another chance, as Sarafian injured himself, opening the door for Moraes with another opportunity. Opening MMA Odds Analysis: MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas has installed Ferreira as the -235 favorite (bet $200 to win $100) while Moraes opened as a +175 underdog (bet $100 to win $175) according to the MMA odds. Ferreira is the more well-rounded fighter and expected to be in this position heading into the season. Meanwhile, Moraes is also very talented but is fortunate to be here considering he lost to Sarafian. Sometimes a second chance can lead to an upset, and that is likely how he is approaching this bout. Moraes has nothing to lose as the dog compared to Ferreira, who must not overlook his opponent in order to avoid a disappointing finale for him.
