Preview: UFC Fight Night 231 'Almeida vs. Lewis'

Heavyweights

Rodrigo Nascimento (10-1, 1 N/C) vs. Don'Tale Mayes (10-5, 1 N/C)

Odds: Nascimento (-185), Mayes (+154)

This rematch of a 2020 bout didn't seem like an obvious move, but things have changed just enough for this pairing to be somewhat interesting three and a half years later. Nascimento made his UFC debut against Mayes in that fight, and most of the Brazilian’s bouts have followed a similar blueprint since; he has enough grappling to cause some problems in the heavyweight division, but getting there is often an adventure involving a lot of ugly wrestling and striking. But "Ze Colmeia" usually gets things over the finish line; he found a second-round submission against Mayes, and his recent fights have shown enough striking improvements to earn some decision wins, even if the fights themselves haven't been particularly impressive in the process. As for Mayes, he's clearly improved in fits and starts since his first fight against Nascimento, and his physical gifts have made those gains pay off all the more. Mayes was a fairly aimless fighter for most of his career, but still able to coast to wins thanks to his 6-foot-6 frame and solid athleticism - and in his 2021 win over Josh Parisian, he showed a surprisingly focused wrestling-heavy approach that suggested he might be turning a corner. That subsequently hit a bit of a wall, as Mayes's next few opponents showed that his defensive wrestling hadn't caught up to his offense skill, but "Lord Kong" turned things around in June with his biggest win to date, a stunning second-round knockout of Andrei Arlovski. If one of these fighters can end things in an instant, that's still clearly Mayes, but it's hard to look at some of the American's recent performances and not see some of the same holes that Nascimento exploited the first time around. This may once again be a bit of a mess in getting there, but Nascimento should eventually get this to the mat and end things; the pick is Nascimento via second-round submission.

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Almeida vs. Lewis
Bonfim vs. Dalby
Nascimento vs. Mayes
Borralho vs. Magomedov
Vieira vs. Petrosyan
Bonfim vs. Pichel
The Prelims