Nicolas Dalby walked into hostile territory at UFC Fight Night 231 and ended the undefeated streak of the heavily hyped Gabriel Bonfim.
Dalby (23-4-1 MMA, 7-3-1 UFC) brought a tough and tenacious background of never being finished into the welterweight co-headliner at Ginasio Do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo. He was a sizeable underdog against Bonfim (15-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC), who had finished every opponent he’s previously faced in MMA competition.
The fight got off to a hot start for Bonfim, who landed hard shots and controlled the opening frame with dominant grappling. Dalby came out undeterred in the second frame, however, and pressured his opponent with punches, elbows and knees until he badly stunned the Brazilian for the TKO at the 4:33 mark of Round 2.
Check out the replay of Dalby’s thrilling upset below (via X):
Dalby hands Bonfim the first loss of his career 😳 #UFCSP pic.twitter.com/HAox22gqv9
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 5, 2023
After his fourth straight win, Dalby asked for a ranked name at 170 pounds, and perhaps even a live event in his native Copenhagen, Denmark.
“When my mind is set to something, nothing can stop me,” Dalby said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “Sean (Shelby), Mick (Maynard), Dana (White), give me a top-15 (opponent).”
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 231 results include:
- Nicolas Dalby def. Gabriel Bonfim via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:23
- Rodrigo Nascimento def. Don’Tale Mayes via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Caio Borralho def. Abus Magomedov via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Elves Brener def. Kaynan Kruschewsky via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 4:01
- Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos declared majority draw (29-28, 28-28, 28-28)
- Vitor Petrino def. Modestas Bukauskas via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 1:03
- Angela Hill def. Denise Gomes via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Eduarda Moura def. Montserrat Conejo via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 2:14
- Marc Diakiese def. Kaue Fernandes via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 231.
