MMA Video: Patrick Cote, Thales Leites, Ronys Torres Make Big Statements

The UFC might have to free some roster space for a few old faces in the near future.

At Saturday's Amazon Forest Combat 2 in Brazil, former UFC fighters Patrick Cote, Thales Leites and Ronys Torres all recorded important wins that moved them one step closer to an Octagon return.

The event also featured victories for Murilo Bustamante and Pete Spratt—two more former UFC competitors who are in the twilight of their respective careers.

For video from the exciting Brazilian event, scroll through the following pages of this slideshow.

Ronys Torres vs. Ferrid Kheder

Nova Uniao product Ronys Torres has been a man on a mission since his release from the UFC in March 2010. 

On Saturday night, Torres wasted little time in disposing of Ferrid Kheder, a former Olympian.

Two looping hooks rocked Kheder before Torres finished the fight with a right uppercut and superman punch into his opponent's guard.

In his first run with the UFC, Torres was considered a bright prospect, but he was handed stiff competition in Melvin Guillard and Jacob Volkmann. The Brazilian suffered decision losses against both opponents and was released from the organization.

Now the 25-year-old Torres, who holds wins over Diego Brandao and Drew Fickett, is in the midst of a 10-fight winning streak and appears ready for another shot in the world's premier MMA organization.

Pete Spratt vs. Daniel Acacio

Pete Spratt's career has been marked with inconsistency.

The 41-year-old has certainly taken part in some exciting fights, as he only reached the scorecards for the fifth time in his 46th fight as a professional on Saturday.

However, Spratt nearly avoided a decision with a brutal spinning backfist in the closing seconds of his fight with Daniel Acacio. The strike left Acacio unconscious, but it was determined that the knockout had occurred after time had expired.

Spratt did walk away from the bout with a win, though—his third in his past four appearances. 

Patrick Cote vs. Gustavo Machado

After suffering a third straight loss against Tom Lawlor in October 2010, former top middleweight contender Patrick Cote was cut from the UFC.

Since then, Cote has now defeated four straight opponents after this knockout of Gustavo Machado on Saturday.

Cote's winning streak has also seen the Canadian defeat former UFC fighters Kalib Starnes and Todd Brown. The impressive run could put Cote in position for a return to the Octagon in the near future.

Thales Leites vs. Matt Horwich

At UFC 101, Thales Leites suffered a controversial decision loss against Alessio Sakara, which prompted the Brazilian's release from the UFC. 

UFC president Dana White considered reversing the decision to cut Leites, but the former top middleweight contender was never reinstated.

Since his release, Leites has now gone 6-1 after submitting Matt Horwich in a win that avenged the Brazilian's only loss during that seven-fight span.

Over the course of his career, Leites has also defeated Nate Marquardt and Jeremy Horn. Another shot at top competition in the UFC could be in the making for Leites.

Murilo Bustamante vs. Dave Menne

On Saturday, former UFC champion Murilo Bustamante picked up his first MMA win in nearly five years in a decision against Dave Menne.

The bout was a rematch of a title fight at UFC 35, where Bustamante dethroned Menne to become the middleweight titleholder, a position that he immediately vacated to compete in Pride.

For Bustamante, 2012 will likely be his final year as a professional fighter. The Brazilian hopes to end his career with a bout in his hometown. 

While it would be a long shot for Bustamante to compete on the card, a bout at UFC 147 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil would make for a storybook ending for the fighter's career.