UFC Fight Night 28 results: Rafael Natal gets win vs. Tor Troeng in thriller

BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil – One punch can irrevocably change a fight, especially if it’s one from Rafel Natal.

Despite landing a thunderous right hand in the second round, Natal couldn’t put away Tor Troeng, who seemed to have nine lives in the cage. But when the scorecards came in, the fight’s winner wasn’t in question.

The middleweight bout was part of the main card of today’s UFC Fight Night 28 event at Mineirinho Arena in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. It aired on FOX Sports 1 following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and Facebook.

The final scores were 30-27 twice and 29-28 for Natal, whose punching power appeared early in the fight when he landed a right hand that wobbled Troeng. The two spilled to the mat, where they traded half-guard more than a half-dozen times in a frenzied grappling match.

But it was in the second when Troeng briefly was knocked out courtesy of Natal’s hook, and for a moment, it looked like the fight wouldn’t do the distance. Somehow, Troeng regained his wits and got back in the fight. From there on, however, Natal was in control.

The fight’s third round saw Natal threaten with a guillotine choke, but again, Troeng managed to free himself.

Natal (17-4-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC) is on a hot streak in the UFC, winning his past three. Troeng (16-5-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC), a veteran of “The Ultimate Fighter 17,” is on the road to redemption after a first-round submission over Adam Cella in the reality show’s finale.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 28 results include:

• Rafael Natal def. Tor Troeng via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Ali Bagautinov def. Marcos Vinicius via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 3:28
• Edimilson Souza def. Felipe Arantes via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Lucas Martins def. Ramiro Hernandez via technical submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:10
• Elias Silverio def. Joao Zeferino via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
• Ivan Jorge def. Keith Wisniewski via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
• Sean Spencer def. Yuri Villefort via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 28, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

John Morgan contributed to this report on-site in Belo Horizonte.