Rafael Natal’s goals for 2016 includes four wins and a spot in the top 5 of the UFC middleweight division, and he moved one step in that direction with a third-round TKO win over Kevin Casey in January.
Less than three months later, "Sapo" will enter the Octagon one more time to battle rising middleweight Robert Whittaker at Saturday's UFC 197. Both Natal and Whittaker enter the cage at on April 23 riding four-fight winning streaks, and the Brazilian believes that a win over the New Zealand native is perfect for his plans in the division.