The three stars of 'UFC Fight Night 38: Shogun vs. Henderson 2' in Brazil

UFC Fight Night 38 closed out a busy month for the UFC in style as the 11-fight card saw seven bouts end by knockout or submission – with six of those finishes coming in the first round.

From an unexpected flying knee knockout in the first fight of the night to a jaw-dropping comeback in the main event, the rare Sunday night event from Natal, Brazil, had a little bit of something for everyone.

All 22 fighters who competed at the event did their best to leave a strong impression on viewers. Many were successful to some degree, but three stood out above the rest.

With that in mind, here are our three stars from “UFC Fight Night 38: Shogun vs. Henderson 2.”

Third Star – Thiago “Marreta” Santos

On a night where upsets ran rampant, Thiago “Marreta” Santos (9-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) pulled out the biggest of them all as the more than 7-to-1 betting underdog needed just 53 seconds to stop Ronny Markes with strikes in the preliminary card featured bout on FOX Sports 1.

Expectations for Santos’ UFC career were minimal at best after a 47-second loss in his UFC debut this past year. However, one well-placed liver kick was all he needed to change that perception and breathe new life into his UFC career.

Second Star – Fabio Maldonado

Fabio Maldonado (21-6 MMA, 4-3 UFC) once again proved why he’s one of the UFC’s most reliable sluggers as he put a brutal assault on Gian Villante (11-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC) to notch his third consecutive UFC victory.

Maldonado could have easily taken his ball and went home after being utterly dominated by Villante’s grappling in the first round. But instead of taking the easy way out, Maldonado stayed mentally strong and waited for his opportunity to arise.

That opportunity came in the second round when an exhausted Villante shut down his offense and allowed Maldonado to turn up the volume to take the second and third rounds. By the end of the fight, it was Villante who needed a way to escape the punishment.

Considering Maldonado’s status a sizable betting underdog, his ability to come from behind for the win was that much more meaningful.

First Star – Dan Henderson

When Dan Henderson (30-11 MMA, 7-5 UFC) drew up the game plan for his rematch with Mauricio Rua (22-9 MMA, 6-7 UFC), he certainly didn’t plan on having to work from behind after nearly being knocked out in the first and second rounds.

Henderson looked quite average in Sunday’s headliner from Brazil, but even with a flat showing, it only takes one of his devastating right hands to knock out any man in the world. That’s what happened to “Shogun.”

The 43-year-old turned the tables in the third round when he landed a hard right hand that redesigned Rua’s nose in the most unpleasant of ways. It was a stunning turn of events that showed Henderson is just as dangerous as ever and, despite his age, still has the power to knock out the highest level of opposition.

The fact Henderson is still able to compete with fighters 10 years his junior is nothing short of spectacular. Where he goes from here is still up in the air, but for a career that could come to an end at any time, the former PRIDE and Strikeforce champion was able to add one more memorable moment to his highlight reel.

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 38, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.