UFC 147 Saturday, June 23, 2012 at 10 p.m. (ET) on Pay-Per-View Mineirinho Gymnasium in Belo Horizonte, Brazil Rony Mariano Bezerra (-305) Profile: A veteran Brazilian fighter and member of Team Noguiera, Bezerra (10-3) was picked by Team Wand at The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. The dangerous featherweight has finished all 10 of his wins and showcased his submission skills as Wand’s best fighter on the UFC show as his only pick to advance in the competition. On the show, Bezerra won his first fight against home training partner Anistavio Gasparzinho via tight armbar submission that almost broke his opponent’s arm. He then moved on to defeat Vitor Belfort’s Hugo Wolverine via decision to move on to the featherweight final, where he will face Godofredo Castro to determine The Ultimate Fighter. Godofredo Castro (+235) Profile: Castro has an unblemished record at 8-0 with an impressive six submissions and two TKOs accumulated throughout Brazil’s independent circuit. “Pepey” was picked sixth by Team Belfort (12th overall) on the inaugural edition of Brazil’s TUF, going 2-0 before he was later switched to Team Wand after it was decided that Team Belfort was too dominant with a 7-1 head-to-head mark in the UFC competition up to that point. In the semifinals, he fought his former teammate Vina Borges Pancini, defeating him via second-round submission and sending himself into the featherweight final at UFC 147. Opening MMA Odds Analysis: MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas has installed Bezerra as the -305 favorite (bet $305 to win $100) while Castro opened as a +235 underdog (bet $100 to win $235) according to the MMA odds. Bezerra may have been the only member of Team Wand to advance, but he is arguably the best finisher and will look to hand Castro the first loss of his career. “Pepey” is a submission specialist but has not faced an opponent as good as Bezerra yet. The experience of Bezerra could very well be the difference in what should be an entertaining TUF featherweight final.
