UFC Fight Night 231 Fight Card: A Big Night for All Debutants in Sao Paulo

The UFC returns to Sao Paulo with a new event and a card that promises hours of entertainment. While this is not a PPV event like UFC 283 from January this year, there is enough talent on this card to keep you interested. Here is the UFC Fight Night 231 fight card.

UFC Fight Night 231 Fight Card: Everything You Need to Know

This will be a huge night for so many young fighters. This card is absolutely stacked with debutants and unbeaten talents from the region. Of course, Derrick Lewis and Jailton Almeida will attract most of the attention but we see the potential for one of the best non-PPV events of 2023. After all, the Brazilian crowd is arguably one of the best in the world.

UFC Sao Paulo Co-Main and Main Events

• Heavyweight: Jailton Almeida (19-2-0) vs. Derrick Lewis (27-11-0)
• Welterweight: Gabriel Bonfim (15-0-0) vs. Nicolas Dalby (22-4-1)

Heavyweight fights are rare nowadays in the UFC and it is always fun when two monsters face off in the octagon. In this case, we have one of the greatest entertainers in history – Derrick Lewis. A former title contender, he never truly got to the top but even after nearly 40 fights, continues to challenge the best in the world.

As the fighter with the most knockouts in UFC history, Derrick Lewis will never not bring the crowd. And you can always expect action, one way or another. His opponent, Jailton Almeida, is on a streak of five wins in two divisions and has not been beaten in a fight since 2018, and has never lost in the UFC.

In the co-main event of the UFC Fight Night 231 fight card, we have another similar bout – a young prospect against a veteran. Unbeaten Gabriel Bonfim will try to extend his streak of first-round submission wins in the UFC and 15 wins inside the distance against 38-year-old Nicolas Dalby.

UFC Fight Night 231 Main Card:

• Heavyweight: Jailton Almeida (19-2-0) vs. Derrick Lewis (27-11-0)
• Welterweight: Gabriel Bonfim (15-0-0) vs. Nicolas Dalby (22-4-1)
• Heavyweight: Don’Tale Mayes (10-5-0) vs. Rodrigo Nascimento (10-1-0)
• Middleweight: Caio Borralho (14-1-0) vs. Abus Magomedov (25-5-1)
• Middleweight: Armen Petrosyan (9-2-0) vs. Rodolfo Vieira (9-2-0)
• Lightweight: Ismael Bonfim (19-4-0) vs. Vinc Pichel (14-3-0)

In another heavyweight match, Don'Tale Mayes will face Rodrigo Nascimento and we couldn't be any more excited. Why, you may ask? These two fighters met back in 2020 when they were just starting their careers in the UFC and produced a banger. Now, with more experience and a bigger stake, we envision an even better bout.

Earlier in the UFC Fight Night 231 fight card, we have an interesting bout between two huge talents. Caio Borralho has four consecutive wins in the UFC since getting a contract in 2022. His opponent, Abus Magomedov, was far from lucky after getting a fight with the current champion Sean Strickland in his last outing. He will be looking to bounce back after a TKO defeat in July.

Earlier on the UFC fight card tonight, Rodolfo Vieira takes on Armen Petrosyan in a wild bout from the middleweight division. Two fighters with identical records and completely different styles. Vieira has all the acolates in BJJ you can ever win while his opponent is a Muay Thai specialist. Both fighters have started their UFC careers in fairly positive ways but who will win here?

UFC Fight Night 231 Prelims:

• Catchweight: Elves Brener (15-3-0) vs. Esteban Ribovics (15-1-0)
• Welterweight: Victor Hugo (24-4-0) vs. Daniel Marcos (15-0-0)
• Welterweight: Rinat Fakhretdinov (21-1-0) vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (24-7-0)
• Bantamweight: Modestas Bukauskas (15-5-0) vs. Vitor Petrino (9-0-0)
• Women's Strawweight: Denise Gomes (8-2-0) vs. Angela Hill (15-13-0)
• Women's Strawweight: Montserrat Conejo (10-3-0) vs. Eduarda Moura (9-0-0)
• Lightweight: Marc Diakiese (16-7-0) vs. Kaue Fernandes (8-1-0)

It is fair to say that the prelims of the UFC Fight Night 231 fight card are all about the young talents. Half of the bouts involve debutants. Some even agreed to fight on short notice, like Kaynan Kruschewsky. He will face Elves Brener, who shocked the world last year with his comeback victory over Guram Kutateladze.

Victor Hugo is another fighter on the UFC fight card this weekend who is stepping in as a replacement. The fighter received a contract only a month ago and already displays the true fighter spirit. He is on a 13-win streak and will make is debut in the UFC against Daniel Marcos, who remains unbeaten with 15-0-0.

Rinat Fakhretdinov is one of the hottest prospects in the welterweight division after winning all three of his UFC appearances to date. He will face local Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, who already fought in Brazil earlier this year. It is important to note that Santos spent a year and a half away from fighting before his return in June.

Angela Hill will make a return to the octagon against another hot prospect. Hill failed against Mackenzie Dern in May and proved that she is not world-class once again. She may believe she is but that 15-13-0 record speaks by itself. Hill will face 23-year-old Denise Gomes, who finished her last two opponents.

Overall, these are the bouts that provide the most interest in us from the UFC Fight Night 231 fight card. There are a few other bouts on the schedule involving debutants but we have to first see them fight before we can confidently talk about them.