UFC Sao Paulo results: Sooo … About last night | Lewis vs. Almeida

Last night (Saturday, November 4, 2023), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ventured to the Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil. For a card that really fell apart, he lost half of his main event And three more fights in the last 36 hours – UFC Sao Paulo still delivered some goods! It wasn’t the most high-profile night of the year, but there were entertaining clashes hidden throughout the evening and at least a few really standout performances.

Let’s take a look at the best performances and techniques from UFC Sao Paulo:

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A strange, dominant victory

Jailton Almeida showed nothing new in 25 minutes against Derrick Lewis.

All the usual tricks were on display. He threw kicks from distance, feinted and then timed his desperation doubly well. Credit to the big man, when his shot is full he actually struggles out of bad positions quite well. He has a second, third and fourth effort that is unusual among big men.

His control on the floor is excellent. The problem is… he didn’t throw anything? Almeida has finished opponents via ground strikes before, so his complete hesitation to drop elbows or unmount punches was truly bizarre. He certainly could have beaten Lewis and done some serious damage in the insane number of minutes he held the mount.

He looked quite limited, yet elite in what he does. He’s the type of fighter that will make some elite heavyweights look really bad, and others will probably wipe the floor with him. It’s all about style matchups for Almeida, and in his defense, most heavyweights can’t wrestle at all.

If so, expect a submission or a shutout.

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Veteran experience wins the day

Nicolas Dalby fought perfectly. He had to if he wanted to upset Gabriel Bonfim, a bona fide prospect with plus skills in just about every area.

From the first bell, Dalby was sprinting. Unfortunately for him, Bonfim is very talented, so he often sprinted early into his opponent’s attack. Bonfim has some great counter punches, but that hasn’t deterred Dalby. Even as Dalby spent a few minutes at the bottom, forced to survive his enemy’s nasty top game.

Once the bell sounded for round two and Dalby was back on his feet, he was still pushing the throttle through the floor. Bonfim got him a few more times, but as soon as Dalby showed up again the energy shift was clear. Bonfim wanted a break and Dalby took advantage of the clinch.

Dalby’s use of frames was beautiful. He hung on to Bonfim’s head, hitting him with his knees and switching to a forearm frame when Bonfim tried to pull away. He could continue to kneel or throw an elbow, and Bonfim couldn’t really respond. The Brazilian had to use a lot of energy to completely break free from Dalby’s grasp, and then he was usually only able to make one or two wild swings before Dalby grabbed him and started throwing with his knees again.

Dalby immediately sent him to the ground after a nasty left hook to the body – a final example of composure and experienced know-how.

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Middleweight‘s smartest newcomer

Caio Borralho isn’t always the most exciting fighter, but he once demonstrated his versatile skills and tactical skills by defeating Abus Magomedov. In doing so, he improved to 5-0 in the Octagon.

Perhaps more than expected, this fight turned out to be a standout showcase for Borralho. He’s known for his karate-style movement and striking, and early on, all that movement didn’t lead to much offense for either man. However, there was a purpose behind Borralho’s strategy.

Magomedov disappears as the fight continues – that is known. Borralho all but denied Magomedov’s early blitz, getting plenty of reads in the process. He was connecting more often by the second with his hard jabs and left hook submissions. He made the Russian bleed a bit, and in the third he put him down with a body shot.

It didn’t deliver the finish, but it once again showed Borralho’s strategic skill against solid opposition. He deserves more than a ranking, let alone a ranked opponent.

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ONE PUNCH!

26 year old Elves Brener is a lot of fun. A training partner of Charles Oliveira, the Brazilian carries that signature Chute Boxe aggression into the cage that is so incredibly entertaining.

In this fight he faced newcomer Kaynan Kruschewsky (15-1), a seasoned veteran with plenty of high-level experience. Early on, Kruschewsky’s accurate counterpunch gave Brener some pause, but it still didn’t take long for Brener to find his opening. Midway through the first, he followed up with a right hand with a roll and a huge left hook, and the final punch hit hard.

That’s a great combination against an opponent who wants to hold his ground and counter, because the attacking fighter can move his head and deliver a powerful punch at the same time. Consequently, Brener was able to roll his enemy’s left hook counter And lands his own huge left with all his weight behind it on an opponent who is out of position.

Kruschewsky hit the ground face first.

Brener should certainly be viewed as a serious lightweight prospect. He’s only 3-0 in the UFC, but beating Zubaira Tukhugov and Guram Kutateladze has already put him above the pack. Another big win in the stoppage should help him moving forward, and it could be time for another Top 15 opponent.

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Great power during the preliminaries

Vitor Petrino (9-0) looks like a serious Light Heavyweight problem.

Modestas Bukauskas is a really solid 205-pounder. He is versatile, experienced and strong. However, compared to Petrino, he didn’t look dangerous at all. In the first round, Petrino’s snap jab was banging. Each time Bukauskas was hit, the Lithuanian veteran was thrown off balance and unable to really return fire. Then Petrino closed the first round with a double along the fence, which was just a raw display of physical strength – he threw his foe like a sack of potatoes.

Bukauskas knew something had to change, so he started the second with more aggression. He jumped forward with his left hook and stepped in hard with the 1-2. It was a smart move, but Petrino responded perfectly with a well-timed check hook that immediately put him to sleep.

The man has power and strength in spades, but he also showed real composure tonight.

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Additional thoughts

• Eduardo Moura defeats Montserrat Ruiz via second round TKO: Moura ran at Ruiz. She took her down almost immediately with a nice butterfly move, then pounded her as she passed the guard, making great use of the position of the gift wrap. Moura also rocked her opponent to her feet, making for a very strong and well-rounded debut from the undefeated prospect. However, it must be said that she lacked weight and was clearly much bigger than her opponent – ​​not a great look. Still, Moura looks like a serious contender at Strawweight if she can tame the scale.

For full UFC Sao Paulo: “Lewis vs. Almeida” results and play-by-play, click HERE!

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