155-Pound Prospects ‘Massaranduba,’ Burnsed Top Jungle Fight 28

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The 28th iteration of leading Brazilian event Jungle Fight is set to be headlined by a clash of once-beaten lightweight prospects Francisco “Massaranduba” Drinaldo and Derrick Burnsed.

The promotion announced the matchup on Monday along with the full card for Jungle Fight 28, which goes down this Saturday, May 21, at Flamengo Rowing Club Gymnasium in Rio de Janeiro.

Bolstering the seven-fight bill is a bout between streaking bantamweight phenom John Lineker, winner of 10 straight, and Rio native Luiz Carlos “Salgadinho.” The second semifinal in Jungle Fight’s 2011 middleweight tournament will also be played out, as Marcelo “Magrao” Guimaraes and Ildemar “Marajo” Alcantara vie for a spot opposite previous qualifier Lucas Rota.

Fighting out of Brasilia’s Constrictor Team, Drinaldo, 31, holds an 8-1 career mark and a 3-1 record in Jungle Fight competition. Following a successful promotional debut against Flavio Alvaro, “Massaranduba” was upset by current UFC signee Yuri Alcantara in the semifinals of Jungle Fight’s lightweight title tournament. Drinaldo has since rebounded, notching a first-round anaconda choke submission of Bruno Lobato in December and a unanimous decision over Joao Paulo on Feb. 19.

Jungle Fight promoter Wallid Ismail told Sherdog.com last month that Drinaldo will likely challenge the company’s current lightweight champion Adriano Martins in June.

Burnsed, who turns 31 on June 9, trains alongside former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, Calif. The former amateur kickboxing champion has compiled a 7-1 record since turning to MMA in 2008, posting stoppage finishes in each of his wins. Since dropping a June 2010 split decision to Bobby Stack in Strikeforce, Burnsed has won back-to-back outings, most recently knocking out Moses Baca in 61 seconds on April 22.