The Ultimate Fighting Championship will pitch its tent in South America for the second time in 2023 when UFC Fight Night 231 plays out on Nov. 4 at Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The show features 14 bouts in eight different weight classes, as the company further deepens its international footprint. Among the highlights: a fast-track heavyweight contender attempting to get past part of the division’s old guard, an undefeated Brazilian making waves at 170 pounds and a model of consistency at women’s strawweight entering some rarified air.
1. Danger Zone
Jailton Almeida has begun to familiarize himself with an inescapable reality: Danger lurks around every corner in the UFC heavyweight division. The surging Dana White’s Contender Series alum will lock horns with Derrick Lewis in the makeshift main event, where he looks to continue his climb toward contention. Almeida enters the Octagon on the strength of a remarkable 14-fight winning streak that now spans nearly six years. The 32-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt last fought on May 13, when he submitted Jairzinho Rozenstruik with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their UFC on ABC 4 headliner. Still, questions remain. Does Almeida’s chin hold up against the division’s heaviest hitters, or will it betray him when it matters most? Lewis, meanwhile, could be an ideal foil in terms of providing some answers. A short-notice replacement for Curtis Blaydes, “The Black Beast” steps up to the plate having authored more knockouts (14) than anyone in the history of the weight class. Lewis last competed at UFC 291, where he needed just 33 seconds to bury Marcos Rogerio de Lima with punches on July 29. It was the ninth first-round finish of the New Orleans native’s career and put him back on track following a run of three consecutive losses.
2. Process of Elimination
The resume speaks for itself. Gabriel Bonfim will put his perfect 15-0 record on the line—all 15 of those wins have resulted in finishes—when he faces former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder Nicolas Dalby in the three-round welterweight co-main event. Bonfim took the well-worn DWCS route to the UFC and now appears poised to make real waves at 170 pounds. The 26-year-old Cerrado MMA rep subdued Mounir Lazzez with a guillotine choke in his UFC 283 promotional debut, then used the same maneuver to sink Trevin Giles at UFC 291 on July 29. Dalby, 38, figures to be a difficult hurdle to clear. The Rumble Sports product has never been stopped in 29 appearances as a professional and steps back into the spotlight with the wind of a three-fight winning streak in his sails. Dalby last fought at UFC on ESPN 47, where he outpointed Muslim Salikhov to a unanimous decision on June 17. He sports a 6-3-1 record inside the Octagon and serves as a solid litmus test for the ascending Bonfim.
3. History Within Reach
Angela Hill can become the second fighter in history, male or female, to surpass 2,000 significant strikes landed in the UFC—Max Holloway holds the all-time record at 3,197—when she confronts Denise Gomes in a three-round women’s strawweight prelim. Hill currently sits 180 shy of the mark. The Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder finds herself on the rebound ahead of her latest assignment, as she dropped a five-round unanimous decision to Mackenzie Dern in the UFC Fight Night 223 main event on May 20. Gomes, 23, has established herself as a person of interest at 115 pounds, with victories in eight of her past nine outings. The Parana Vale Tudo prospect last competed on July 8, when she needed just 20 seconds to bring down Yazmin Jauregui with punches at UFC 290. It ranks as the fastest finish ever in the women’s strawweight division. Needless to say, Hill has her hands full with the Brazilian upstart.