Jailton Almeida vs Derrick Lewis is set to go down this Sunday live in the sold-out Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
This is the first time the UFC has been to Brazil since January, and at that event, Jamahal Hill became the new UFC Light Heavyweight champion after defeating Glover Teixeira in a completely one-sided affair.
This time around, top heavyweights will headline the card when ninth ranked Jailon Almeida gets into the clash of the titans with the fan favourite and ever-so-popular number 10 ranked Derrick Lewis.
Our full UFC Fight Night Almeida vs Lewis Tips & Preview can be found below.
It was meant to be Curtis Blaydes stepping into the octagon against Almeida this weekend, but after several training injuries, Lewis got the call to replace him.
This main event went from the battle of the wrestlers to the submission specialist up against a prolific knockout artist “The Black Beast” Derrick Lewis.
This heavyweight fixture has the makings of a bout that will end within the first two rounds and here are the numbers behind it.
Since joining the UFC in 2022, Almeida has not had a fight leave the second round, with three fights won via submission and two by way of knockout.
The last time Lewis had a fight go the distance; it was in February of 2020, since then he’s won 4 bouts by way of knockout.
Since August of 2020, Lewis has only had one fight go past Round 2, against Cyril Gane in August of 2021.
I see great value in the fan favourite Derrick Lewis to secure the win via KO/TKO in the first round.
The hometown hero and undefeated Gabriel Bonfim will put his unbeaten record on the line and throw down with Nicolas Dalby in a welterweight bout that will receive co-main event billing on the evening.
Not only is the Brazilian native unbeaten, but all 15 victories have been won by stoppage, including a dozen submissions.
On the other side of the cage, you’ve got the 38-year-old Danish fighter Nicolas Dalby.
In his second stint with the UFC, he’s been on a good run with three straight victories coming by decision.
At the time of writing, Dalby is the biggest underdog on the entire card, and I don’t see him proving the doubters wrong in this bout.
The numbers are pointing towards Bonfirm moving his UFC record to 3-0, with 12 wins coming via submission and three knockouts, with eight fights finishing in the first round.
In 11 UFC fights, Dalby has gone the distance on 10 occasions and the other ended by submission.
With those numbers, I’ll be taking Bonfim to secure the win via submission in Round 1.
Rodrigo Nascimento and Don’tale “King Kong” Mayes will go toe-to-toe for the second time in their respective UFC careers.
The last time the two powerhouse heavyweights met, Nascimento secured the bout by way of a second round submission.
After studying the numbers, I’ll be backing Nascimento to go up 2-0 in this rivalry.
In his 11-fight MMA career, the 30-year-old has two wins by knockout, six by submission and a remarkable six first-round finishes.
Nascimento has a three-fight win streak including a second-round knockout and two split-decision victories.
I see great value in Rodrigo Nascimento to secure the victory via KO/TKO or submission.