The UFC is set to head back to Brazil for the first time since the UFC 283 pay-per-view that kicked off the calendar year. Saturday’s UFC Fight Night will emanate from the Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and feature a ranked heavyweight main event between talented riser Jailton Almeida and veteran knockout artist Derrick Lewis.
Fight fans can catch UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Almeida streaming live on ESPN+, beginning at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT for the prelims, with the main card set to get underway three hours later.
Main Event — Lewis vs. Almeida
Saturday’s main event is sure to pull no punches as “The Black Beast” Derrick Lewis steps into the cage only days after being taken into custody for allegedly driving a Lamborghini 86 miles per hour over the legal speed limit. Lewis’ power is second to none in the UFC, and perhaps second to only Francis Ngannou, and perhaps Deontay Wilder in the world of combat sports. Thanks to this equalizer, Lewis has made a name for himself as one of the most popular underdogs in the UFC, and will have a chance to upend another hype train when he steps in the cage with the division’s best prospect in any organization.
Fight Day in Brazil! 👊🇧🇷
The #UFCSP action kicks off at 6pmET / 3pmPT on ESPN+
[ B2YB @NapoleonMovie ] pic.twitter.com/XgzDHviWjR
— UFC (@ufc) November 4, 2023
Almeida is unbeaten in the UFC, sporting a 19-2 record, and is yet to face any real opposition since arriving two years ago. That doesn’t figure to change against Lewis, but don’t let that confuse you for thinking Lewis doesn’t have a chance. As long as Lewis is standing and exchanging with “Malhadinho,” he always be a threat to land a flash knockout. However, the skills and mixed martial arts intangibles all favor Almeida in this matchup. The Brazilian was originally scheduled to take on Curtis Blaydes, one of Lewis’ many victims, in the main event, but could take another step towards title contention regardless, provided he gets his hand raised on Saturday night.
Co-Main Event — Bonfim vs. Dalby
Gabriel Bonfim is among the most exciting Brazilian prospects to come through the UFC since, well, Jailton Almeida. The younger Bonfim brother is a perfect 14-0, and not counting his Dana White’s Contender Series appearance has logged under half a round of cage time in the UFC. His patented guillotine is to blame, as he used it to finish Mounir Lazzez in 49 seconds, and Trevin Giles in 73 seconds.
BONFIM vs DALBY! #UFCSP is LIVE TOMORROW on ESPN+! pic.twitter.com/o0hSBYLGwf
— danawhite (@danawhite) November 3, 2023
He will get a different kind of test Nicolas Dalby. Considering the current odds, Bonfim is certainly likely to walk away with a win, but the real story going into this fight will be Bonfim’s killer instinct vs. Dalby’s durability. Excluding his defeat to Jesse Ronson which was overturned to a No Contest after Ronson tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, every single one of Dalby’s bouts in the promotion have reached the judges’ scorecards. Considering he is on a three-fight winning streak of his own, he is the perfect test for Bonfim, who is looking to take another big step toward the top-15 of the UFC welterweight division.
Rest of the Card
Saturday’s card should be a big one for fans worldwide, as it is littered with high-level Brazilian fighters taking on unique challenges up and down the card. The featured fight will see heavyweights Rodrigo Nascimento and Don’Tale Mayes collide as both fighters make a case to become top-15 heavyweights. Speaking of talented Brazilians, Caio Borralho is also scheduled to take on Abus Magomedov in one of the most underrated fights on the card. Magomedov, after all, is coming off a main event tilt with Sean Strickland, who has since gone on to win the UFC middleweight championship.
Rounding out the main card are fights between Rodolfo Viera and Armen Petrosyan at 185 pounds, and Ismael Bonfim and Vinc Pichel at 155 pounds. The former will likely come down to whether Petrosyan can ward off Viera’s attempts to take the fight to the mat. At the same time, the latter should be an action-packed main card opener between the TUF Live veteran Pichel and the older Bonfim brother, who is certainly no slouch himself.
A seven-fight preliminary card will lead into tonight’s show, which can also be caught on ESPN+. For up-to-the-minute results and updates, be sure to stay right here with MMA Sucka.
UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Almeida Results
Main Card
Jailton Almeida def. Derrick Lewis via Unanmious Decision (50-44, 50-44, 50-45)
Nicolas Dalby def. Gabriel Bonfim via TKO (strikes) at 4:33 of Round 2
Rodrigo Nascimento def. Don’Tale Mayes via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Caio Borralho def. Abus Magomedov via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Rodolfo Viera vs. Armen Petrosyan — CANCELLED**
Elvis Brenner def. Kaynan Kruschewsky via TKO (strikes) at 4:01 of Round 1
Preliminary Card
Daniel Marcos vs. Victor Hugo — CANCELLED*
Elizeu Zaleski vs. Rinat Fakhretdinov Ends in a Majority Draw (28-29, 28-28, 28-28)
Vitor Petrino def. Modestas Bukauskas via Knockout (Punch) at 1:10 of Round 2
Angela Hill def. Denise Gomes via Unanimous Decision (30-27. 29-28, 29-28)
Eduarda Moura def. Montserrat Ruiz via TKO (strikes) at 2:14 of Round 2
Marc Diakese def. Kauê Fernandes via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
*- Hugo Missed Weight
**- Petrosyan illness
