After a rare week off, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns! The world’s leading mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion travels to Brazil for UFC Sao Paulo. In the main event, surging Heavyweight prospect Jailton Almeida continues his climb for a title shot as he takes on all-time UFC knockout leader, Derrick Lewis.
While UFC Sao Paulo isn’t stacked with much name value, there are several fun matchups up and down the card. So, before it goes down on ESPN+, let’s check out some random storylines, tidbits, and statistics ahead of showtime …
Headliner Switcher-Roo
Almeida was originally supposed to be fighting Curtis Blaydes this weekend; however, last month, Blaydes pulled out of the fight because of injuries sustained during training camp. Lewis jumped at the opportunity because he was “starving” for another fight in 2023.
It is super disappointing that Almeida vs. Blaydes is not happening — it would have been peak Heavyweight MMA grappling. Oh well.
Second Straight Main Event
Almeida competes in his second straight UFC main event on Saturday. “Malhadinho’s” first main event was against Jarizinho Rozenstruik at UFC Charlotte earlier this year, in which he ran through “Bigi Boy” in less than four minutes (watch highlights).
Looking Past ‘Black Beast’
While Lewis is a step up in competition for Almeida, he already has his eyes set on former interim Heavyweight kingpin, Ciryl Gane. The Brazilian is a massive favorite over Lewis (-485), but looking past someone with as much knockout power as “Black Beast” could be dangerous.
The Big 40
Lewis competes in his 40th professional fight this weekend! And 27 of those fights have taken place inside UFC’s Octagon. The 38-year-old Heavyweight holds the record for most knockouts in UFC (and the Heavyweight division). He got back into the win column in July, stopping Marcos Rogerio de Lima at UFC 291 in 33 seconds (watch it).
First Time In Brazil
Lewis has traveled all over the world to fight, but for the first time in his career, he will fight in Brazil. Can he spoil Almeida’s coming-out party?
Sao Paulo
It has been four years since UFC has traveled to Sao Paulo, Brazil. The last event UFC Fight Night 164: “Błachowicz vs. Jacare,” which was held in the same venue (Ibirapuera Gymnasium).
The card wasn’t very memorable, especially because the main event was awful. However, Charles Oliveira picked up his first knockout in UFC when he stopped Jared Gordon.
Bonfim Bro
Two exciting Brazilian brothers were expected to return at UFC Sao Paulo. Gabriel Bonfim is the co-main event against UFC veteran Nicolas Dalby, while his older brother, Ismael Bonfim, was supposed to kick off the main card against Vinc Pichel; however, the Lightweight fight was called off after weigh-ins.
Gabriel (15-0) has been perfect through two fights inside the organization, and he faces someone who has technically never been finished — will Bonfim be the one to finish Dalby?
Unnecessary Rematch
Another month, another random useless rematch. Last time, it was Michelle Waterson vs. Marina Rodriguez. This time, it is Don’Tale Mayes vs. Rodrigo Nascimento. The pair of Heavyweights first clashed at UFC on ESPN 8: “Overeem vs. Harris,” where Nascimento submitted Mayes in the second round (watch it). Since the first fight, Mayes has gone 3-1-1, while the Brazilian has gone 2-1-1.
Oh, and this useless rematch is on the main card in the feature slot.
UFC 1 Style Matchup
The second fight on UFC Sao Paulo’s main card features a stylistic matchup reminiscent of the early UFC tournament fight: Armen Petrosyan vs. Rodolfo Vieira. Petrosyan is a brilliant kickboxer who is developing into an MMA fighter quite nicely, while Vieira is a seriously dangerous world-champion grappler.
It is a classic “Striker vs. Grappler” matchup … enjoy.
Welcome To UFC!
- Kaynan Kruschewsky (15-1) fights fellow Brazilian Elves Brener. Kruschewsky holds an 87 percent finish rate and is coming off a Contender Series contract-winning performance.
- Eduarda Moura (9-0) takes on Monserrat Ruiz. Moura also comes off a Contender Series contract-winning performance, tapping Janaina Silva in four minutes. Moura holds an 89 percent finish rate.
- Kaue Fernandes (8-1) opens the card against Marc Diakiese. Fernandes is riding a two-fight win streak with two finishes.
WHY THE HECK IS THIS ON THE ‘PRELIMS?’
For some reason, Rinat Fakhretdinov is buried on the “Prelims” undercard. And while his first two UFC fights were a lesson in wrestling and could have been deemed boring, in his last fight, he retired Kevin Lee, spoiling his UFC return.
The 32-year-old is riding a 17-fight win streak and has looked tremendous. He also entered the Top 15 recently. Fakhretdinov takes on UFC veteran, Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, his toughest test to date, which should be on the main card (especially over Nascimento vs. Mayes).
Brazilians … In Brazil
There is at least one Brazilian in every fight on UFC Sao Paulo’s card, so it’s safe to say they are represented nicely.
Winners And Losers
Eighteen fighters are coming off wins, while four are coming off losses.
Multi-Divisions
Here are the divisions that will be on display this Saturday:
- Two Heavyweight fights
- One Light Heavyweight fight
- Two Middleweight fights
- Two Welterweight fights
- One Lightweight fight
- Three Bantamweight fights
- One women’s Strawweight fight
- Two Catchweight fights
Beta Dog
According to DraftKings, the “biggest” underdog(s) at UFC Vegas 81 are Dalby and Ruiz at +455.
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LIVE! Stream UFC Sao Paulo On ESPN+
NEW SCHOOL VS. OLD SCHOOL HEAVYWEIGHT SHOWDOWN! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Sat., Nov. 4, 2023, with all-time Octagon knockout record holder, Derrick Lewis, stepping in on short notice to face surging prospect, Jailton Almeida, in the ESPN+-streamed main event. In UFC Sao Paulo’s co-main event, undefeated submission stylist, Gabriel Bonfim (15-0), looks to keep his perfect record intact at the expense of Nicolas Dalby in a Welterweight showdown.
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Sao Paulo fight card right here, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance (also on ESPN+) at 9 p.m. ET.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC Sao Paulo: “Almeida vs. Lewis” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
