The three stars of ‘UFC Fight Night 39: Nogueira vs. Nelson’ in Abu Dhabi

With four UFC shows slated for April, Friday’s UFC Fight Night 39 event on UFC Fight Pass may have been overlooked. Fortunately, a few fighters made fans take notice as the eight-bout card from du Arena in Abu Dhabi included some standout performances.

In stark contrast to the organization’s previous event in the Middle East, the main event was the high point of the night as Roy Nelson knocked Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira out cold with his trademark right hand just minutes into the contest.

It was one of many highlights on the card.
Now that the UFC’s fourth UFC Fight Pass event is in the books, here are MMAjunkie’s three stars for UFC Fight Night 39:

Third Star: Thales Leites

Former UFC title challengers are cut from the organization all the time, but what’s rare is for one to work his way back to the roster and regain a position as a threat.

In the case of Thales Leites (23-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC), that’s exactly what’s happened, and the 32-year-old now finds himself in the midst of a three-fight UFC winning streak, the latest of which was a 45-second blowout of Trevor Smith (11-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC) on Friday.

Leites is best known for his jiu-jitsu wizardry, but against Smith he showed off his improved striking skills by scoring the first knockout of his UFC tenure and his first in MMA competition since 2005.

With a solid winning streak to his name, the Brazilian’s quick finish likely earned a fight against a ranked name in the middleweight division.

Second Star: Ramsey Nijem

“The Ultimate Fighter 13” runner-up Ramsey Nijem (9-4 MMA, 5-3 UFC) was a 3-1 underdog at UFC Fight Night 39. However, that didn’t stop him from handing highly touted lightweight prospect Beneil Dariush (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) his first professional defeat.

Nijem overwhelmed Dariush with strikes from the onset and eventually put away the fighter via first-round knockout.

The 26-year-old with Palestinian roots had a boost in motivation from the Middle Eastern crowd. That allowed him to overcome the odds for the most impressive showing of his eight-fight UFC stint.

First Star: Roy Nelson

While many felt a Roy Nelson (20-9 MMA, 7-5 UFC) knockout of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (34-9-1 MMA, 5-5 UFC) was a forgone conclusion prior to the fight, the fashion in which “Big Country” disposed of the Brazilian legend was something to behold.

Nelson found a home for his always-reliable right hand early and often, but it was the final crushing shot that sent Nogueira crashing to the mat that left everyone watching in awe.

Poor performances in back-to-back losses to Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier had many questioning Nelson’s longevity in the sport. However, at the end of Friday’s main event, it was Nogueira’s career that may have been brought to an end.

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 39, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.