Rafael Natal

Sapo

Brazil

Release possible after another terrible effort
MiddleweightUFC
July 22, 2017
Natal lost to Eryk Anders via KO (punches) at 2:54 of Round 1 at UFC on FOX 25 on Saturday in Long Island, New York.
ANALYSIS
Perhaps once again Natal didn't hear the opening bell ring? Facing a young, hungry opponent, the 34-year-old Brazilian couldn't get out of his own way. He was on his heels from the get-go and he was never able to recover. Natal has now suffered back-to-back brutal knockout losses and has come up short in three straight contests overall. It's entirely possible that this could have just been a terrible matchup for "Sapo," but he simply can't afford such dreadful efforts at this point in his career. Natal hasn't won a fight in a year and a half and a release is certainly in play here.
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Not competitive in loss to Tim Boetsch at UFC 205
MiddleweightUFC
November 12, 2016
Natal lost to Tim Boetsch via TKO (punches) at 3:22 of Round 1 at UFC 205 on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
ANALYSIS
Perhaps Natal didn't hear the opening bell ring? Sapo's striking defense was abysmal as he allowed Boetsch to push forward without consequence for the entire duration of the fight. It was a poor and confusing performance from Natal. He has only lost two-fights in a row, but it's starting to feel as if the 33-year-old Brazilian is nearing the finish line. His speed has seemingly evaporated, and he doesn't have the strength to get a fight to the mat to use his submission skills.
To face Tim Boetsch at UFC 205
MiddleweightUFC
September 22, 2016
Natal is scheduled to face Tim Boetsch in a middleweight bout at UFC 205 on Nov. 12 in New York.
ANALYSIS
Natal has several quality wins on his resume, but was beaten handily by Robert Whittaker back at UFC 197 in April. The key for Sapo will be getting this fight to the ground -- something he struggled to do in the Whittaker bout. The Brazilian has world-class submission skills, but Boetsch's heavy hands could give him trouble if the fight stays on the feet.
MiddleweightUFC
April 23, 2016
Natal lost to Robert Whittaker via unanimous decision (28-29, 27-30, 27-30) at UFC 197 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
Natal landed plenty of effective leg kicks early, but unfortunately he did virtually nothing else. Natal went for quite a few takedowns early, but he failed on all of them and eventually gave up on the idea. Natal's chin held up very well, he ate countless power shots from Whittaker, but at age-33, it became quite clear that Sapo has virtually no chance to striking battle against younger fighters. Natal still has the ground skills to submit any man in the world, but if he can't get his opponent to the ground, it's hard to see how he will ever win. Saturday's loss snapped a four-fight winning streak for Natal, but three of those victories came against nobodies (Chris Camozzi, Tom Watson, Kevin Casey) and the fourth was a controversial split decision win (Uriah Hall). We have already seen the best that Natal has to offer.
MiddleweightUFC
April 21, 2016
Natal (+265) is a healthy underdog for his middleweight fight against Robert Whittaker that will take place at UFC 197 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
Natal is riding a four-fight winning streak, but outside of a split decision win over Uriah Hall (a fight which many people think he lost), Natal hasn’t fought anyone of note in two and a half years. Natal’s submission skills are elite, but the other aspects of his game are weak and he figures to be giving up a decent amount of strength to Whittaker in his fight. Natal would have to be considered the favorite if this fight turned into a ground battle, but there is zero reason to think that Whittaker will allow that to happen. Natal probably deserves to be an even bigger underdog than what he is listed at.
MiddleweightUFC
January 30, 2016
Natal defeated Kevin Casey via TKO (strikes) at 3:37 of Round 3 at UFC on FOX 18 on Saturday in Newark, New Jersey.
ANALYSIS
Natal dropped Casey with a huge punch just as the bell rang at the end of Round 1 and it completely turned the tide of the fight. "Sapo" dominated from there on out, earning the finish after showing some impressive ground-and-pound skills late in the final round. Natal has now won four fights in a row and seven of his last nine overall. At 33-years of age, this would seem to be the ceiling for Natal these days.