Ultimate Fighting Calendar
UFCUFC on FX: Belfort vs. Rockhold
Middleweight3 rounds scheduled
WIN
Rafael Natal
BrazilRafael Natal
“Sapo”
21-9-1
RESULT

Rafael Natal def. Joao Zeferino (Unanimous Decision)

Unanimous Decision · Round 3 · 5:00
Joao Zeferino
BrazilJoao Zeferino
“The Brazilian Samurai”
21-9-0
Saturday, May 18, 2013

Rafael Natal defeated Joao Zeferino by Unanimous Decision in round 3 (5:00) in the Middleweight bout of UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Rockhold, held Saturday, May 18, 2013. The judges scored it 30-27, 29-28, 29-28, Rafael Natal won the decision.

Fight stats

Rafael Natal
Joao Zeferino
0
Knockdowns
0
29 of 67
Significant strikes
14 of 40
43%
Sig. strike accuracy
35%
112 of 162
Total strikes
22 of 50
1 of 2
Takedowns
0 of 2
50%
Takedown accuracy
0%
0
Submission attempts
2
0
Reversals
0
4:52
Control time
0:22
Significant strikes by target
17 of 46
Head
12 of 33
5 of 7
Body
1 of 3
7 of 14
Leg
1 of 4
8 of 39
Distance
14 of 40
5 of 5
Clinch
0 of 0
16 of 23
Ground
0 of 0

By round

ROUND 1
0
KD
0
3 of 13
Sig. str.
5 of 14
24 of 37
Total str.
11 of 22
0 of 1
Takedowns
0 of 0
0
Sub. att
2
0:11
Ctrl
0:14
ROUND 2
0
KD
0
13 of 30
Sig. str.
6 of 16
32 of 51
Total str.
7 of 17
0 of 0
Takedowns
0 of 2
0
Sub. att
0
1:53
Ctrl
0:03
ROUND 3
0
KD
0
13 of 24
Sig. str.
3 of 10
56 of 74
Total str.
4 of 11
1 of 1
Takedowns
0 of 0
0
Sub. att
0
2:48
Ctrl
0:05

Judges' Scorecards

Guilherme Bravo
#NatalZeferino
1109
2109
3109
Total3027
Ben Cartlidge
#NatalZeferino
1910
2109
3109
Total2928
Douglas Crosby
#NatalZeferino
1910
2109
3109
Total2928

Media Scores

10
Natal
-
0
Zeferino
●29-28 Natal×10
All 10 media scorecards▾

Fan Scorecards

92%
Natal
8%
Draw
0%
Zeferino
13 fan scorecards submitted
●29-28 Natal84.6%●29-29 Draw7.7%●30-27 Natal7.7%
Fans' round-by-round verdict
R1
92%
Zeferino
R2
92%
Natal
R3
92%
Natal

Scorecard data via mmadecisions.com

Betting Odds

Rafael Natal
-313
76% implied win probability
Open: -332Best: -283
Joao Zeferino
+251
28% implied win probability
Open: +251Best: +270

Average moneyline across 4 sportsbooks.

SportsbookRafael NatalJoao Zeferino
Bookmaker-340+270
Bovada-310+250
Pinnacle-283+250
sports-interaction-325+235

Odds are for information only. · Odds data: fightodds.io

Frequently asked questions

Who won Rafael Natal vs Joao Zeferino?

Rafael Natal defeated Joao Zeferino by Unanimous Decision in round 3 (5:00) in the Middleweight bout of UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Rockhold, held Saturday, May 18, 2013. The judges scored it 30-27, 29-28, 29-28, Rafael Natal won the decision.

What were the judges' scorecards for Rafael Natal vs Joao Zeferino?

The judges scored it 30-27, 29-28, 29-28, Rafael Natal won the decision.

Was Rafael Natal vs Joao Zeferino a robbery?

Public scoring backed the judges: 100% of 10 media scores picked Rafael Natal.

Full robbery index →
Referee
Leon Roberts
Time format
3 Rnd (5-5-5)
Pre-fight comparison▾

Win probability

Rafael Natal 62%38% Joao Zeferino

What the model gave each fighter going into the fight, from their pre-fight UFCalendar Power Index ratings. See the full Power Index

Fight DNA

Head to head

UFCalendar's style model. Each fighter is rated against their own division, so read the gaps as directional.

Rafael Natal
Grappling Specialist
6 edges
Joao Zeferino
Submission Ace
4 edges
PowerSpeedPrecisionDurabilityEngineWrestlingGround

Radar scaled to this matchup · bars show the gap

Style shape

81Power85
84Speed58
85Precision55
84Durability77
93Engine65
98Wrestling95
94Ground96

Biggest edge Rafael Natal, Kick speed +30

Attribute by attribute

Rafael Natal is on the left of every row, Joao Zeferino on the right.
70Punch power74
91Kick power96
75Punch speed52
93Kick speed63
85Accuracy55
98Takedowns95
95Ground striking95
92Submissions97
72Chin79
95Body strength75
93Cardio65

Attributes are rated 0-100 by UFCalendar's style model.

Tale of the Tape

21-9-1
Record
21-9-0
1730
Power Index rating
1644
0
Win Streak
0
43
Age
40
6'0"
183 cm
Height
5'11"
180 cm
77"
196 cm
Reach
69"
175 cm
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Middleweight
Weight Class
Middleweight
Brazil
Nationality
Brazil

Striking Profile

3.10
SLpM
0.83
47%
Str. Acc.
36%
2.48
SApM
2.60
57%
Str. Def.
48%

Grappling Profile

2.55
TD Avg.
0.50
34%
TD Acc.
5%
77%
TD Def.
50%
0.50
Sub. Avg.
1.00

Recent form (last 5 fights)

Rafael Natal · 2-3
  • L
    Eryk Anders
    UFC Fight Night: Weidman vs Gastelum · Jul 23, 2017
    TKO · R1 · 2:54 · Middleweight
  • L
    Tim Boetsch
    UFC 205: Alvarez vs McGregor · Nov 13, 2016
    TKO · R1 · 3:22 · Middleweight
  • L
    Robert Whittaker
    UFC 197: Jones vs Saint Preux · Apr 23, 2016
    Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Middleweight
  • W
    Kevin Casey
    UFC Fight Night: Johnson vs Bader · Jan 31, 2016
    TKO · R3 · 3:37 · Middleweight
  • W
    Uriah Hall
    UFC 187: Johnson vs Cormier · May 23, 2015
    Split Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Middleweight
Joao Zeferino · 4-1
  • W
    Rafael Cerqueira
    LMC 1 · Jun 6, 2026
    Unanimous Decision · Light Heavyweight
  • W
    Andronico Borges
    Brothers Fight Champion 3 · Sep 6, 2025
    TKO · R1 · 0:10
  • W
    Yan Cabral
    ADXC 6 · Oct 25, 2024
    Submission · R1 · 1:20 · Middleweight
  • L
    Mikhail Rogozin
    RCC 20 · Oct 18, 2024
    Unanimous Decision · Middleweight
  • W
    Bruno Antonietta
    ADXC 3 · Mar 2, 2024
    Submission · R3 · 2:45 · Middleweight

Career Averages

Based on 17 fights · 8 fights
38.6
Avg sig. strikes
12.5
2.12
Avg takedowns
1.25
3:09
Avg control time
3:14
73
Career high strikes
14
8
Career high TDs
4

Strike Distribution

Rafael Natal
Strike target
Joao Zeferino
58%
Head
72%
14%
Body
20%
28%
Leg
8%
Rafael Natal
Strike position
Joao Zeferino
66%
Distance
22%
12%
Clinch
3%
22%
Ground
75%