Bustamante, Leites, and Cote Big Winners at Amazon Forest Combat 2

Former UFC middleweight champions Murilo Bustamante and Dave Menne rematched at Saturday’s Amazon Forest Combat 2 at the Amadeu Teixeira Gymnasium in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil. The fight didn’t play out exactly the same as their first go-around, but the result was the same, Bustamante walking out of the cage the winner.

The first time they met, at UFC 35, Bustamante walked out of the cage with the UFC middleweight championship wrapped around his waist. This time, he walked away with the satisfaction that he put in the necessary work to remain competitive at 45 years of age.

“Wins are always important because they are the result of your work,” Bustamante told MMAWeekly.com prior to the fight. “Losses make you frustrated something went wrong some way during the fight or your training camp.

“Now I am fighting to have fun, and feel the fire in my stomach again, but am always looking for wins.”

Bustamante obviously has the fire in his stomach, but with numerous other elements in his life at this point, 2012 will likely be the swan song for the former UFC champion’s mixed martial arts career.

“I am really busy with a lot of stuff,” he said. “Training my fighters and taking care of my family and son. Probably this will be my last year in the cage and my goal is to fight in Brazil and Rio, my city, where everything started a long time ago.”

Fellow UFC veterans Thales Leites and Patrick Cote also scored victories at Amazon Forest Combat 2, each continuing his success outside of the Octagon.

Amazon Forest Combat 2 Results:

Murilo Bustamante def. Dave Menne by Unanimous Decision
Thales Leites def. Matt Horwich by Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) at 4:39, R2
Patrick Cote def. Gustavo Machado by KO (Punch) at 2:44, R1
Pete Spratt def. Daniel Acacio by Unanimous Decision
Ronys Torres def. Ferrid Kheder by TKO (Strikes) at 0:22, R1
Dileno Lopes def. Javier Ocampo by Submission
Emiliano Sordi def. Fabiano Capoani by TKO (Strikes)
Rivaldo Junior def. Marcelo Rojo by Unanimous Decision
Luiz Fernando def. Pablo Javier Llampa by TKO (Strikes)