Introduction
UFC Fight Night 51: Bigfoot vs. Arlovski 2 took place on Saturday, September 13, 2014 at the Maracanãzinho Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — broadcast exclusively on UFC Fight Pass. The main event was a heavyweight rematch between Antônio 'Bigfoot' Silva and Andrei Arlovski, who had first met in the WEC in 2008. Arlovski, who had been on a remarkable comeback run after leaving the UFC and competing in various promotions worldwide, won the rematch and continued to build one of the UFC's most impressive heavyweight comeback stories.
The card was a showcase for emerging Brazilian and South American talent. Jéssica Andrade — a future UFC strawweight and bantamweight contender — made one of her early appearances. Santiago Ponzinibbio made his UFC debut with a welterweight win. Godofredo 'Pepey' Castro earned Performance of the Night for his featherweight finish.
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, September 13, 2014
📍 Venue: Maracanãzinho Arena, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
📺 Broadcast: UFC Fight Pass (exclusive)
🏆 Main Event: Andrei Arlovski vs. Antônio 'Bigfoot' Silva — Heavyweight (rematch; first bout was WEC 2008)
✅ Result: Arlovski def. Bigfoot — Arlovski's comeback run continued
Arlovski's Comeback
Andrei Arlovski had been the UFC heavyweight champion from February 2005 to April 2006, losing the title to Tim Sylvia. After leaving the UFC, he had an inconsistent run in Strikeforce, Affliction, and various other promotions before returning to the UFC in 2014. His return was one of the most successful heavyweight comebacks in UFC history: he won five consecutive fights after returning, earning Performance of the Night bonuses and rising back into the UFC's top-five heavyweight rankings. The Bigfoot rematch was part of that run. His first meeting with Silva had been in 2008 — six years and multiple career arcs prior.
Full Results
Main Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Andrei Arlovski def. Antônio 'Bigfoot' Silva — Heavyweight (comeback win; rematch of 2008 WEC meeting)
Gleison Tibau def. Piotr Hallmann — Lightweight
Leonardo Santos def. Efrain Escudero — Lightweight
Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Wendell Oliveira — Welterweight (UFC debut; future top-15 WW contender)
Iuri Alcântara def. Russell Doane — Bantamweight
Preliminary Card
Jéssica Andrade def. Larissa Pacheco — Women's MMA (early UFC appearance for future UFC SBW/BW contender)
Godofredo 'Pepey' Castro def. Dashon Johnson — Featherweight (PoN $50k)
George Sullivan def. Igor Araújo — Welterweight
Francisco Trinaldo def. Leandro Silva — Lightweight
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Performance of the Night: Godofredo 'Pepey' Castro — $50,000
Legacy & Impact
Jéssica Andrade's early appearances in 2014 were the foundation of what became a long UFC career. She eventually won the UFC women's strawweight title in May 2019 by knocking out Rose Namajunas and went on to campaign at strawweight and bantamweight, earning multiple Fight of the Night awards. Santiago Ponzinibbio's UFC debut in Rio was the start of a welterweight run that produced several KO highlights and a period in 2017-2018 where he was considered a genuine top-five contender. Arlovski's win over Bigfoot was his third straight comeback win — he eventually went 5-0 in his return before a series of competitive losses to other top heavyweights.