Leather hat and jubilation after winning in London (photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
It wasn’t Terry Etim’s day to dispel his reputation for coming up short against Brazilians. Making his debut in the lightweight division, Reneé Forte was incognizant that he was the underdog, and dominated Etim throughout their three rounds in the UFC on Fuel 7 undercard this past Feb. 16 at London’s Wembley Arena.
Forte, who was coming off a loss, celebrated redemption in the UFC in grand style, wearing a hat that is part of the battle attire typical during the wild frontier days of Brazil’s Northeast.
“I had the best preparations of my life. I acclimated in France, which helped me a lot,” said the Brazilian. “I was really confident and always believed in my potential. I was honored to fight here in England.”
At a range disadvantage, Forte started out using his legs and looking to close the distance. The Brazilian was superior in Round 1, pressing his opponent up against the fencing and managing a takedown. In Round 2, Forte managed to impose his game even more, controlling his opponent and making it to mount, where he punished Etim until the bell rang. The third round was much of the same, with the Brazilian exerting complete control.
When it was all over, three judges award the win to Reneé, his first win in the UFC.
UFC on Fuel TV 7
Wembley Arena, London, England
Feb. 16, 2013
Renan Barão tapped out Michael McDonald via katagatame at 3:27 min of R4
Cub Swanson defeated Dustin Poirier via unanimous judges’ decision
Jimi Manuwa defeated Cyrille Diabaté via TKO at 5 min of R1 (calf injury)
Gunnar Nelson defeated Jorge Santiago via unanimous judges’ decision
James Te-Huna defeated Ryan Jimmo via unanimous judges’ decision
Matthew Riddle defeated Che Mills via split judges’ decision
Undercard
Reneé Forte defeated Terry Etim via unanimous judges’ decision
Danny Castillo defeated Paul Sass via unanimous judges’ decision
Andy Ogle defeated Josh Grispi via unanimous judges’ decision
Tom Watson defeated Stanislav Nedkov via TKO at 4:42 min of R2
Vaughan Lee defeated Motonobu Tezuka via unanimous judges’ decision
Phil Harris defeated Ulysses Gomez via unanimous judges’ decision
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