The best and worst from UFC Fight Night 137: Santos vs. Anders

#2 Best: Trinaldo finds the Fountain of Youth

Francisco Trinaldo stopped Evan Dunham with a savage knee to the body

Francisco Trinaldo uses the nickname ‘Massaranduba’ when he fights, but he could easily change that to ‘Ponce de Leon’ as he appears to have found the fabled Fountain of Youth somewhere down in Brazil. Trinaldo was faced with Evan Dunham last night – an opponent who, at 36, had decided to retire after the fight, win lose or draw.

Looking at the two fighters it was hard to believe that Trinaldo was actually the older man, and even more unbelievable that he’s actually 40 years old. Physically, Dunham looked every bit of his 36 years and 27 fights, while Trinaldo – a veteran himself at 23-5 – appeared to be carved from granite.

The fight told its own story, too. Dunham tried – he was as aggressive as ever – but it appeared that Trinaldo was moving on another plane of speed and it always appeared just a matter of time before he caught Dunham with something nasty.

That something nasty came in the second round – a perfectly timed counter knee directly to the body. Dunham collapsed like he’d been shot and appeared to be in serious pain for some time after the fight was stopped. It was not the ending to his career that he would’ve liked, and turned out to be the most brutal finish of the night.

For Trinaldo though, it was another indicator that despite his age, he’s still very much in his prime. It was his 13th UFC win and keeps him well in the top fifteen at 155lbs – the UFC’s most packed division. How he keeps doing it is anyone’s guess, but fair play to him!