The UFC returns to Sao Paulo for the first time in nearly four years on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 231, which takes place at Ginasio Do Ibirapuera and streams on ESPN+.
Heavyweight contenders will clash in the main event. Surging contender Jailton Almeida[autotag] (19-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) meets two-time title challenger [autotag]Derrick Lewis (27-11 MMA, 18-9 UFC) in a five-round bout.
For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC Fight Night 231.
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Jailton Almeida
Almeida is 3-0 since he moved up to the UFC heavyweight division in May 2022.
Almeida has earned all 19 of his career victories by stoppage.
Almeida’s five-fight UFC stoppage streak is tied for second-longest among active fighters in the company behind Sergei Pavlovich (six).
Almeida has absorbed just two significant strikes in his five-fight UFC career.
Derrick Lewis
Lewis competes in his 28th UFC heavyweight bout, the second-most appearances in divisional history behind Andrei Arlovski (40).
Lewis’ 18 victories in UFC heavyweight competition are second-most in divisional history behind Arlovski (23).
Lewis’ 14 stoppage victories in UFC heavyweight competition are most in divisional history.
Lewis’ 14 stoppage victories in UFC competition are tied for fifth-most in company history behind Charles Oliveira (20), Jim Miller (17), Donald Cerrone (16) and Matt Brown (15).
Lewis’ 14 knockout victories in UFC competition are most in company history.
Lewis’ 14 knockout victories in UFC competition stemming from punches are the most in company history.
Lewis’ eight knockouts stemming from ground strikes in UFC competition are tied with Cain Velasquez for most in company history.
Lewis’ eight fight-night bonuses for UFC heavyweight bouts are tied with Stefan Struve for second-most in divisional history behind Stipe Miocic (nine).
Gabriel Bonfim vs. Nicolas Dalby
Gabriel Bonfim (15-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned all 15 of his career victories by stoppage.
Bonfim has earned both of his UFC victories by submission.
Nicolas Dalby (22-5-1 MMA, 6-4-1 UFC) is 5-2 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in September 2019.
Dalby has earned all six of his UFC victories by decision.
Caio Borralho vs. Abus Magomedov
Caio Borralho’s (14-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) four-fight UFC winning streak at middleweight is tied for the second-longest streak in the division behind Dricus Du Plessis (six).
Abus Magomedov’s (25-5-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) 19-second TKO victory in his debut at UFC Fight Night 209 is the fourth-fastest finish of any debuting fighter in middleweight history.
Magomedov has earned 15 of his career victories by first-round stoppage.
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Rinat Fakhretdinov
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (24-7 MMA, 10-3 UFC) has earned six of his 10 UFC victories by decision.
Dos Santos is one of three fighters in UFC history to earn knockouts stemming from a flying knee and a spinning wheel kick. Cory Sandhagen and Edson Barboza also accomplished the feat.
Rinat Fakhretdinov (21-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) enters the event on an 20-fight winning streak. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since June 2013.
Fakhretdinov has earned 17 of his 21 career victories by stoppage.
Angela Hill vs. Denise Gomes
Angela Hill (15-13 MMA, 10-13 UFC) competes in her 23rd UFC strawweight bout, the most appearances in divisional history.
Hill is 9-11 since she returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2017.
Hill’s nine victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for third-most in divisional history behind Joanna Jedrzejczyk (10) and Carla Esparza (10).
Hill’s two knockout victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for third-most in divisional history behind Jessica Andrade (three) and Amanda Lemos (three)
Hill’s three knockdowns landed in UFC strawweight competition are third-most in divisional history behind Lemos (five) and Rose Namajunas (four).
Hill has landed 1,820 significant strikes in UFC competition, the second-most in company history behind Max Holloway (3,197).
Hill’s 13 losses in UFC competition are the most by any female in company history.
Denis Gomes (8-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has earned six of her eight career victories by stoppage. She’s finished both of her UFC wins by knockout.
Gomes’ 20-second knockout at UFC 290 marked the fastest finish in UFC strawweight history.
Gomes’ two knockout victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for third-most in divisional history behind Lemos (three) and Andrade (three).
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 231.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
